As they do with any first-round pick, the Pittsburgh Steelers had high expectations for Derrick Harmon when they used the 21st overall pick on him back in April. That’s a lot of pressure for a rookie, especially one that’s projected to be a starter to begin the season, as Harmon is. However, pressure is something he seems ready to embrace.
“Yeah, most definitely, being a first-rounder, being an automatic starter as a rookie, yeah,” Harmon said, acknowledging that pressure after Saturday’s game via the Steelers’ YouTube channel. “But I feel like pressure makes diamonds. So that’s how I look at it.”
Harmon saw his first NFL action last week in the Steelers’ win over the Jaguars. He didn’t play badly by any means, but he didn’t make any head-turning plays, either. This week, things were different.
Late in the first quarter, Harmon showed off an absolutely beautiful bull rush to grab his first sack of the preseason.
The improvement from the first to the second preseason game for Derrick Harmon was visible. He admitted as much himself after Saturday’s game, mentioning that he trusted his abilities more this week. Those abilities certainly showed up, with Harmon recording both his first sack and first tackle for a loss against Tampa Bay.
The Steelers are already thrilled with Harmon, and they’ll be even more happy after his performance this week. Part of the reason they drafted him was due to his ability to stop the run. It’s something they badly needed after struggling to do so toward the end of the 2024 season. That was also something they could count on from Harmon, while knowing his pass-rushing skill set could take a little longer to develop.
However, his bull rush showed a strong glimpse of what Harmon could ultimately become as a pass rusher. He’s a quick, twitchy player who is nimble for his position. But if he can put that all together, along with his strength that was obvious Saturday, Pittsburgh could have a monster in the interior.
Derrick Harmon had a solid camp. He’s now showing some strong improvement in between his first two preseason games, as well. If he can continue on that trajectory until the start of the regular season, he’ll be in great shape.
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