4 players the Steelers should steer clear of in round one of the NFL Draft

Najee Harris, RB, Alabama

I hate to burst anyone’s bubble with this, but all signs indicate that Najee Harris should not be a first-round pick. I like Harris. I think he’s a good football player and one that Pittsburgh should certainly consider in round 2 (in the unlikely event he falls that far). However, there are a handful of reasons why he is too rich for my blood at pick 24.

While the Steelers could live with the fact that he’s a senior (though they typically always stick with juniors in round one), Harris has a sizable amount of wear and tear on him as he touched the ball 718 times in his collegiate career. In addition, it’s a bit concerning that he couldn’t carve out a bigger role when working behind players like Josh Jacobs and Damien harris – especially considering he was the same age.

Harris will be 23.5 years old by the start of the 2021 NFL season. Assuming Pittsburgh gave him a fifth-year-option at the end of his rookie deal, this would make him 28 years old by the end of his rookie deal – two years past running back decline age (26). Like Le’Veon Bell, Harris should be a do-it-all-for-you running back, but his run could be very brief, and there just isn’t a lot of evidence to suggest that running backs should be taken in round one.