Film Room: Steelers fill a glaring need in Round 1 by picking Derrick Harmon
There was plenty of drama on Thursday night with the Pittsburgh Steelers on the clock, holding the 21st pick in the first round of the NFL draft.
Shedeur Sanders, whom some had speculated could be the second overall pick, was still on the board. And the Steelers, with an obvious hole at the quarterback position, had been linked to Sanders in recent days. Speculation ran wild that Pittsburgh would take the high-profile signal-caller from Colorado, and in doing so would finally land the elusive heir to Ben Roethlisberger they’d been seeking since 2021.
And yet, when commissioner Roger Goodell announced the pick, they opted for Oregon defensive lineman Derrick Harmon instead. It was a boring pick in terms of entertainment, but an excellent one given Pittsburgh’s need along the defensive line. Harmon is a huge (6’5-312), athletic prospect whose style of play fits the Steelers scheme perfectly. Unlike Sanders, who will take time to acclimate to an NFL offense, and whose future is more of a projection than an existing body of work, Harmon looks ready to contribute immediately. He should earn a regular role quickly, giving the Steelers a solid front alongside Cam Heyward and Keeanu Benton.
Harmon had a monster campaign at Oregon in 2024, helping transform the Ducks’ defensive front into one of the most formidable in college football. He led all FBS interior linemen in quarterback pressures, registered the second-best pressure rate, fourth-best pass-rush win rate, and had five sacks. He also contributed 45 tackles, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. Harmon’s first three college seasons were spent at Michigan State, where he was more of a two-gapping run-stuffer in their scheme. Oregon unleashed his athleticism and allowed him to penetrate more, much like the Steelers should do, and Harmon flourished.
In the tweet I’ve linked to below, there’s a film breakdown on Harmon, with an analysis of why his selection provides significant value for the Steelers. Selecting Sanders would have made headlines, but picking Harmon will help win football games.
Derrick Harmon film room. Lots to love here. Quick off the snap, great hand usage, separates from blocks, and really closes to the football. Steelers got a stud to pair up front with Cam Heyward and Keeanu Benton. @FFSNSteelCity pic.twitter.com/LSLBvSEEct
— Kevin Smith (@KTSmithFFSN) April 25, 2025
For more of my work, follow me on X @KTSmithFFSN, and tune into my “Call Sheet Daily” podcast, which airs every Monday-Friday at 10 AM.
Great break down as always Coach.
Good breakdown, I like the pick.
Assume he will be playing on TJ’s side and I think that will create options to free TJ similar to when Tuitt had his breakout year in 2019 or 2020. In that year Watt had 15 sacks and Tuitt had 11. Since that time, the d-lineman on TJs side have slowly regressed and the teams total sacks have sufferred significantly as teams realized they could shift more resources to TJ without a big penalty because guys like Benton and Ogunjobi were not picking up the slack.
Great stuff, coach! Thank you for the breakdown and sharing your football knowledge with all of us.
He is supposed to be a pretty versatile guy and able to line up anywhere on the defensive line. Do you have any thoughts on where he might line up the most for the Steelers in terms of a 1,3 or 5-technique?
https://x.com/gerrydulac/status/1915837605549056212
thoughts and prayers to Derrick and the Harmon family
Agreed and amplified.