Derrick Harmon making it look easy as rookie in Steelers defense

His assimilation as a rookie into the defense, by all indications, has been seamless.

Pittsburgh Steelers teammates and coaches are impressed, and opponents have watched him make at least one “splash” play against them in each of his NFL games.

Has playing defensive tackle in the pros progressed as smoothly in Derrick Harmon’s own view as it appears it’s been to those who have watched him?

“Yeah,” Harmon said this week when asked just that. “A little bit. Yes, sir.”

Not bad for a rookie, even one who was drafted in the first round — but especially so for a rookie who missed almost four weeks of practice time while recovering from a knee injury suffered during the preseason finale.

The 6-foot-4, 313-pound Harmon has hopped on the proverbial moving train looking nothing like a rookie, nothing like a player who missed so much practice time, nothing like one who needed to recover from an injury.

“It’s good to get him back. Each week he’s gotten better,” defensive coordinator Teryl Austin said earlier this week in advance of Thursday night’s game at the Cincinnati Bengals. “Missed some time, and like all rookies, there is always going to be a learning curve in there. What I’ve seen is a guy who is exactly what we thought he was when we drafted him.”

Harmon entering the lineup in Week 3 coincides with what was a turnaround in the fortunes of the Steelers defense overall and in particular the run defense. Opponents averaged 31.5 points over the two games to begin the season when Harmon did not play; in the first three games after his return, that figure dropped all the way down to 14.7.

After permitting an average of 149.5 rushing yards over the first two games, heading into Thursday’s game the Steelers had allowed 84.7 in three games with Harmon on the defensive line.

“You know, we made him an opening-day starter as a rookie for a reason,” coach Mike Tomlin said. “He’s a talented guy, but he’s missed some time as well. And now that we have him back and he’s rounding out into form, I’d imagine that you’re going to feel more of his impact as well.”

Harmon’s impact was felt via at least one big play during each of his first three games as a pro — and each ended in a Steelers victory.

Harmon had a sack of New England’s Drake Maye on Sept. 21 in his debut. The following week in Dublin, Harmon on the pass rush deflected a throw by Minnesota Vikings quarterback Carson Wentz that directly led to a DeShon Elliott interception. Then, Harmon added a pair of half sacks during this past Sunday’s win against the Cleveland Browns.

Over his first three games, Harmon totaled seven tackles (three solo, one for loss), four QB hits, the aforementioned tipped pass and nine pressures of opposing quarterbacks.

How has Harmon made the jump to the NFL appear so smooth?

“Just being prepared,” he said, “and just really following my (veteran teammates) and really honing in on that playbook and making plays in this defense.”

Drafted No. 21 overall as a 21-year-old, this rookie from Oregon is making a positive enough early impression that the Steelers have legitimate hopes he can be a stalwart on their defensive front for years to come.

“He’s going to be a good pass rusher (and) really big and stout versus the run,” Austin said. “He’s got a really high football IQ and really, he’s got a big, big ceiling

“I like ‘D. Harmon.’ He’s serious about his work. He doesn’t mess around. You can just look at him, and his goal is to be a heck of a football player in this league and he’s on his way.”