Derrick Harmon Earns Cam Heyward’s Reward After NFL Debut: ‘Simply Gonna Maintain Getting Higher’

After lacking the primary two video games, Steelers rookie first-round choose Derrick Harmon made a profitable NFL debut in opposition to the Patriots. Although they had him on a pitch rely, he didn’t appear sluggish to heat as much as the motion. Now over his damage, he ought to shortly ramp up his exercise and supply a much-needed presence within the defensive trenches.

Again in coaching camp, Cam Heyward mentioned he felt personally answerable for Harmon’s maturation. The Steelers hadn’t drafted a defensive lineman within the first spherical earlier than Harmon since Heyward again in 2011, and he needs to verify Pittsburgh is in good palms after he retires. After the Steelers’ 21-14 win in New England, he praised the rookie and expects much more going ahead.

“I assumed Derrick performed very nicely”, Heyward mentioned, by way of the Steelers’ web site. “He’s acquired robust palms. I used to be anxious about his conditioning, however he got here to play at the moment. I feel it actually balanced out our group, particularly with [Isaiahh Loudermilk] happening. To get him again within the move, and he’s simply gonna maintain getting higher. It creates one thing we will construct on”.

Chosen within the first spherical of the 2025 NFL Draft out of Oregon, Derrick Harmon wasted no time coming into the beginning lineup. Steelers DL coach Karl Dunbar revealed throughout OTAs that he was already working with the starters. Throughout coaching camp, no one batted an eye fixed when he persistently ran with those.

Though he had an underwhelming preseason debut, Harmon had a significantly better sport per week later. Within the Steelers’ third preseason sport, nonetheless, he suffered a knee damage. Whereas it initially appeared critical, it proved to be extra minor than feared. Nonetheless, he sat out the primary two video games earlier than returning to observe final week.

Logging below half of the Steelers’ defensive snaps, Harmon recorded two complete tackles, together with a sack. Occurring on back-to-back performs, the sack on third down, he nearly singlehandedly ended one Patriots drive.

One might level out that Harmon didn’t file one other statistic for the remaining 51 minutes of the sport. I’d hope, nonetheless, that almost all readers perceive a defensive lineman can’t be judged solely by his stat sheet. Preliminary impressions of his debut are favorable, although after all, that’s what all of us anticipated.

The Steelers drafted Derrick Harmon to be an enormous asset not simply sooner or later, but in addition proper now. He didn’t simply slide into the beginning lineup as a result of he was so superb—in addition they didn’t have anyone. Watching Isaiahh Loudermilk the previous two weeks, it was clear they had been lacking a expertise.

Now that they’ve Harmon up and operating, maybe we will begin to see the Steelers protection we had been promised. They nonetheless want Joey Porter Jr. and DeShon Elliott again within the secondary, and so they have definitely missed these two. However the Steelers have expertise, and whereas we needed to watch for it, Harmon is definitely a part of that.