The Pittsburgh Steelers have been known in the past for having elite defensive lineman. They may have found a gem when they selected defensive tackle Derrick Harmon from the Oregon Ducks with the 21st overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.

Harmon is line to potentially be one of the starting defensive lineman with the Steelers along with Cameron Heyward and Keeanu Benton. Pittsburgh coaches are raving about the rookie defensive lineman.

Pittsburgh Steelers Coach Raves About Rookie Derrick Harmon Entering the 2025 NFL Season

The Steelers’ coaching staff is impressed with what Harmon has done so far this offseason. Pittsburgh was wondering if he was going to be a starting heading into the 2025 NFL season or if he was going to have to earn his stripes in that regard. Brooke Pryor of espn.com said,

“It’s not often the Steelers tap a rookie to be a starter in June, but that’s exactly what defensive line coach Karl Dunbar did. “He goes out there with the 1s,” Dunbar said. “He’s our left starting defensive tackle. You can write that.” Then again, Pittsburgh doesn’t often use its base 3-4 defense that would put Harmon on the field as a starter alongside Cameron Heyward and Keeanu Benton. Still, Dunbar identifying him as a starter signals that the Steelers have been impressed with their first-round pick.

“I feel, like, comfortable,” Harmon said of the defense. “[At] Oregon, we had the same defense, so I’m playing the same-for-same position. Biggest difference for me is really just learning the speed of the game.””

With Oregon and Pittsburgh playing a 3-4 defensive scheme, it will be easy for Harmon to grasp it. It was not a surprise to see the Steelers draft a defensive line in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft, despite needing to draft a quarterback in that situation. Harmon is going to be a building block of the Steelers defense moving forward, especially if T.J. Watt doesn’t sign a contract extension with them.

Harmon helped the Ducks defense be successful during the 2024 college football season. They were 13-0, before they lost to the Ohio State Buckeyes in the playoffs. The Steelers finished with a 10-7 record in 2024, and Harmon will look to anchor this Steelers defense for years to come.