Steelers A to Z: Derrick Harmon expected to start, make impact on defensive line as rookie
Editor’s note: From now until reporting day to training camp at Saint Vincent College, TribLive is running through the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 90-man roster, looking at each player and assessing his outlook for the 2025 season. The breakdown will run in alphabetical order with at least two players each day between June 12 and July 23. Contract data courtesy spotrac.com.
DT DERRICK HARMON
Experience/age: Rookie, 21 (turns 22 in August)
Contract status: $3,267,928 cap hit, signed through 2028 with team fifth-year option for 2029.
The past: Harmon’s path to the Steelers took him from his Detroit hometown to three seasons at Michigan State before he transferred to Oregon for his final college season. The decision paid off for Harmon, who became a first-round prospect and joined the Steelers with the No. 21 overall pick.
At Oregon, Harmon emerged as a second-team All-America pick in 2024 when he had 45 tackles, including 101⁄2 for loss, five sacks and four pass breakups in 13 starts. The transfer was a difficult one for Harmon, who left behind his mother in Michigan. Harmon’s mother suffered a series of strokes when he was in college and died hours after the Steelers drafted him.
.@MoveTheSticks No. 26 prospect @oregonfootball DT Derrick Harmon turned some heads last night. ???? @visa pic.twitter.com/SHmAlp0Ck5
— NFL (@NFL) February 28, 2025
2025 outlook: At 6-foot-4, 313 pounds, Harmon has the size the Steelers were seeking on a defensive line that was leaky late in the season and allowed a staggering 299 yards rushing to the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC wild-card round.
From owner Art Rooney II to general manager Omar Khan to coach Mike Tomlin, the organization was unified in the quest to add more physicality to the defensive front, with Harmon being the first piece of the puzzle. The Steelers added another defensive lineman, Yahya Black, later in the draft.
Harmon is expected to start as a rookie. Defensive line coach Karl Dunbar said as much as minicamp earlier this month. Harmon also is viewed as the heir apparent to Cameron Heyward as the anchor of the defensive line.
Joe Rutter is a TribLive reporter who has covered the Pittsburgh Steelers since the 2016 season. A graduate of Greensburg Salem High School and Point Park, he is in his fifth decade covering sports for the Trib. He can be reached at jrutter@triblive.com.
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