With the Pittsburgh Steelers’ first round pick in the NFL Draft, the team selected Najee Harris. With the selection of Harris, the Steelers fixed a need at running back. But was it the right pick?
I’ll be giving a pros and cons about selecting Harris in the first round. Then at the end, I’ll give a grade.
Najee Harris: Pro
Running back was a need for the Steelers — and they drafted the best one. Harris was ranked the top running back in the NFL Draft class and he has everything to prove it.
Taking a look at Harris’ stats from a year ago, he had a phenomenal season. Harris had 1466 rushing yards tagged along with 26 rushing touchdowns. Given those stats, you could tell that his play could translate to the next level. Not only is Harris just a runner but he’s useful in the passing game. During his senior season, Harris had 43 receptions and 425 receiving yards.
The @steelers & @ConvoyofHope held a distribution on Saturday at @HeinzField to bring the basic necessities & some treats to families in the Pittsburgh area.@ZBNFL, @ohthatsNajee22 & Vance McDonald were in attendance to lend a helping hand. pic.twitter.com/lj38mdAl8i
— Steelers Community Relations (@SteelersCR) May 2, 2021
Najee Harris Pick: Con
While the Steelers did fill a need, was it right to do it with a first round pick? I don’t think so. There was a much bigger need to fill within the offensive line. While Najee Harris will be good for the Steelers, it’s easy to find NFL caliber running backs later in the draft.
As mentioned before, the offensive line should’ve been more of a focus with their first round pick. With this draft being offensive line heavy, it would’ve been a smarter move to go that route.
One player I was hoping the Steelers would draft, was Landon Dickerson. Dickerson was one of the top interior offensive linemen during the 2020 season. At the conclusion of the 2020 season, Dickerson won the Rimington Trophy. What’s the Rimington Trophy? It’s awarded to the nation’s top center. That being said, it’s easy to tell that Dickerson has enough talent to fill a big need for the Steelers.
Steelers Final Grade: C
I gave the Steelers a C for their round pick. Why? Since there was a much bigger need to fill it wasn’t that good of a pick. However, I’ll give them more points for selecting the best running back available. Even though there was other serviceable running backs that could’ve been drafted later.
The Steelers would’ve gotten a better grade, if they used their first round pick on a much bigger need. As previously mentioned, running back was a need for the Steelers, but not worth using a first round pick. Personally, I’ve never been a fan of using a first round pick on a running back.
Seeing the city pic.twitter.com/r2dKX2TbD2
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) May 1, 2021
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