Steelers draft DT Derrick Harmon: How he fits, pick grade and scouting intel
The Pittsburgh Steelers have added to their defensive line, selecting Oregon defensive tackle Derrick Harmon with the No. 21 pick in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
A one-year starter at Oregon, the 21-year-old showed flashes of potential when he first played three years at Michigan State. Harmon started 15 of his 28 appearances over three seasons, totaling 7 1/2 tackles for loss and 3 1/2 sacks as a Spartan.
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Harmon left Michigan State following the dismissal of head coach Mel Tucker, leading him to Oregon. He took a leap with the Ducks, posting a career-best 10 1/2 tackles for loss and five sacks, adding two forced fumbles and three passes defensed. The effort was enough to earn him third-team All-Big Ten.
Harmon has the size and strength to get stops in the run game, even when double-teamed. He also has an impressive balance of speed and power for an interior pass rusher. At 6 foot 5 and 315 pounds, his 4.95 40-yard dash was sixth-best among all defensive tackles who ran at the combine.
Harmon ranked No. 16 in Dane Brugler's top 300 big board. Here's what Brugler had to say about him in his annual NFL Draft guide:
'A player who can win in different ways, Harmon forces blockers to attack air with his lateral explosiveness or uses strong, crafty hands to swat away the reach of blockers as he bursts through gaps to close on the ball carrier. Though he led FBS interior linemen in pressures, he also led the position in missed tackles (12) — even the smallest improvements in his backfield finishing ability would have resulted in double-digit sacks. Overall, Harmon is a highly active and disruptive big man who consistently finds ways to gain freedom from blocks as a penetrating pass rusher and run stuffer. He projects as a scheme-diverse NFL starter, anywhere from one- to five-tech.'
What an anonymous coach had to say about Harmon in Bruce Feldman's mock draft:
'He was the best interior pass rusher we faced this year. He has great length and athleticism. We schemed a lot of things to make sure he didn't get one-on-ones against us. He wasn't as stout in the run game as (Mason) Graham.'
Derrick Harmon just ripped this one away for the takeaway 💪
No. 3 @oregonfootball takes over in Ohio State territory.#B1GFootball on NBC 📺 pic.twitter.com/z6eP8721LF
— Big Ten Football (@B1Gfootball) October 13, 2024
Come back for more analysis of Harmon later.
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