The Pittsburgh Steelers have found their future.
On Thursday night in Green Bay, general manager Omar Khan found a pivotal piece of his long-term plans.
With the 21st pick, the Steelers took Oregon defensive tackle Derrick Harmon, taking the explosive lineman over a quarterback in Round 1.
The story of Pittsburgh’s pick is that it wasn’t a quarterback, but it’s worth giving Harmon his flowers. He’s a worthy prospect, largely viewed as a first-round lineman who rose late in the process.
Harmon’s stock was boosted significantly by his impressive pre-draft testing. Running a sub-5.00-second 40-yard dash at 313 pounds. For those counting at home, that’s 81st-percentile speed at 70th-percentile weight with a 90th-percentile wingspan to boot (Mockdraftable).
Harmon immediately steps in as a starter alongside defensive linemen Keeanu Benton and Cameron Heyward, offering a boost to the 2025 offensive line and a long-term path to replacing Heyward’s production. The icon was fantastic in 2025, but Father Time is undefeated, and planning for Heyward’s decline is a must, even if it isn’t immediately necessary.
The biggest test for Harmon’s rookie year productivity will be how many snaps he can take from Benton on passing downs. The latter was primed for a breakout campaign but logged only a single sack in 2024.
At Oregon, Harmon logged five sacks and 11 tackles for loss to round out his college career.
There are concerns in his profile about his late breakout and pad level, but his combination of size, speed, and strength adds to his flashes in both phases to round out a promising profile.
By taking Harmon, the Steelers have all but sacrificed the possibility of an early-round quarterback. With limited draft capital and no pick until No. 83 in the third round, the team’s options under center will grow increasingly inaccessible, barring a veteran signing.
Expect Harmon to make an impact against both the run and pass in 2025 as he looks to make good on his Round 1 draft capital.
