Steelers Get Great News on First-Round Rookie

The Steelers surprised much of the public with their selection in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft.

Despite many people believing that the Steelers would be going for a quarterback, specifically Shedeur Sanders, the Steelers would end up taking Derrick Harmon, a defensive lineman out of the University of Oregon.

Harmon made an immediate impression on the Steelers staff, with all positives coming out of the organization about their newest top rookie.

That being said, the most recent news out of camp had been that Harmon was not a participant in camp on Wednesday, which could have signaled that Harmon was not going to be able to be a participant in the first preseason game for the team as the Steelers head down to Florida to face the Jacksonville Jaguars.

According to head coach Mike Tomlin, Harmon is going to be able to play in their upcoming preseason tussle. When asked about it, Tomlin attributed his lack of participation to the rigor of the NFL training camp regiment, which Harmon would not neccesarily be used to as a rookie.

"Just minor things associated with the rigors of training camp,” Tomlin said.

While Harmon was a top selection in the 2025 NFL Draft, he still needs the reps that preseason offers to young talent. It is possible that the Steelers put him on limited snaps as to avoid injury during the preseason, but Harmon will still need to get used to the pace of NFL level football, which preseason games certainly help with.

Harmon was the seventh defensive lineman taken in the draft this previous year, in a class that was considered by many to be one of the best defensive line classes in the history of the league. Now entering the season, Harmon will be able to leverage the fact that six other players were taken at his position before he was, providing an edge against some of the other young players across the league. Harmon also joins a talented and experienced defensive group, and should be mentored quite well by the older members of the team.