Steelers minicamp notebook: Derrick Harmon already a starter, Jack Sawyer quickly impresses

This time, there was no pretense of making the rookie prove it for the Pittsburgh Steelers’ first-round pick.

Derrick Harmon is running with the first-team starters in the base defense during spring workouts, defensive line coach Karl Dunbar said before the start of minicamp Tuesday.

“He goes out there with the 1s,” Dunbar said of Harmon. “He’s our left starting defensive tackle. You can write that.”

The designation comes with a small caveat that the Steelers — like most NFL teams — have gradually gone away from a “base” defensive package. Their 3-4 personnel alignment is rarely deployed; much more often, they line up with two defensive tackles.

That said, the 6-foot-4, 313-pound Harmon never was going to immediately surpass veteran team co-captain Cameron Heyward nor emerging third-year DT Keeanu Benton. That Harmon, the 21st overall pick in April, is already the Steelers’ No. 3 defensive lineman is a testament to what he’s shown so far.

“He’s done a good job of bringing himself into camp in some kind of shape,” Dunbar said from the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex practice fields.

“He’s really wired in.”

Communicating better

The Steelers have a new-old defensive backs coach in Gerard Alexander, who served as the team’s assistant defensive backs coach in 2022-23 but last year was safeties coach with the Las Vegas Raiders.

Under secondary coach Grady Brown last season, the Steelers defense too frequently was prone to high-profile communications lapses. Alexander said it’s been a priority to address that.

“I know that was a huge focus on our process now — just to make sure the communication was streamlined,” said Alexander, who is in his sixth season as an NFL assistant. “(Whatever player) receives the communication knows exactly what’s going on so that we can make sure we have a chance to have success on that (particular) play.”

Jack reacher

Jack Sawyer quickly make a significant positive impression on his new pro position coach. Steelers outside linebackers coach Denzel Martin said it didn’t take long after Sawyer was selected with the 123rd overall pick in the fourth round that he wanted to get to work.

“He was trying to get the playbook that night,” Martin said Tuesday. “I told him to calm down and have some fun for a little bit.

“He’s the type of the guy who wants it. He wants everything about it, and I am looking forward to coaching him.”

Playing for 2024 national champion Ohio State, Sawyer was named defensive MVP of the College Football Playoff semifinal win against Texas.

“He’s been great,” Martin said. “He’s been eager to learn, the type of guy that he wants more — he tries to get in on the weekends.

“That dude, man, everything you saw on that tape in college is coming to life out here. That dude, he’s just somebody who is going to be really fun to work with.”