With Shedeur Sanders still available for the Pittsburgh Steelers to draft at No. 21 overall in the first round, no one was expecting NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to announce Oregon DT Derrick Harmon’s name.
The move clearly fills a much-needed hole on the defensive line — but could the Steelers have traded back, gained more picks, and still landed Harmon?
After injury concerns emerged ahead of draft day, Harmon was projected by some to slide out of the first round entirely. GM Omar Khan even admitted that trade calls were coming in all day — but said Harmon was a player they simply weren’t willing to trade back from.
It’s hard not to admire Harmon’s film and his potential to grow behind veteran DT Cameron Heyward — but it still feels like the Steelers may have been able to land Harmon, who ranked 42nd on PFF’s Big Board, while also picking up a late Day 2 or Day 3 selection in the process. At least then, it would’ve been far easier to draft one of the late-round QBs they’ve evaluated closely with the additional capital.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Wire: Did Steelers reach on DT Derrick Harmon with pick No. 21?
With Shedeur Sanders still available for the Pittsburgh Steelers to draft at No. 21 overall in the first round, no one was expecting NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to announce Oregon DT Derrick Harmon’s name.
The move clearly fills a much-needed hole on the defensive line — but could the Steelers have traded back, gained more picks, and still landed Harmon?
After injury concerns emerged ahead of draft day, Harmon was projected by some to slide out of the first round entirely. GM Omar Khan even admitted that trade calls were coming in all day — but said Harmon was a player they simply weren’t willing to trade back from.
It’s hard not to admire Harmon’s film and his potential to grow behind veteran DT Cameron Heyward — but it still feels like the Steelers may have been able to land Harmon, who ranked 42nd on PFF’s Big Board, while also picking up a late Day 2 or Day 3 selection in the process. At least then, it would’ve been far easier to draft one of the late-round QBs they’ve evaluated closely with the additional capital.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Wire: Did Steelers reach on DT Derrick Harmon with pick No. 21?
