4 reasons Steelers won’t draft RB Najee Harris in first round

Steelers haven’t drafted a skill player in the first round in 12 years

Rashard Mendenhall was also an outlier when it comes to taking skill players in the first round. Simply put: the Steelers don’t do it. Pittsburgh has gone 12 years without taking a skill player in the first round. In fact, if you count Minkah Fitzpatrick, they have spent their first-round pick on a defensive player for eight consecutive seasons (David DeCastro was the most recent offensive player selected in the first round of the 2012 draft).

Prior to Mendenhall, the Steelers took Santonio Holmes and Heath Miller in the first round in the early 2000s, but since then, it hasn’t been something that Mike Tomlin or Kevin Colbert has made a priority. While this isn’t to say that this trend won’t shift back to the other direction, it is certainly something to consider.

Addressing the defense has been priority number one for Tomlin over the past decade, but that could change in 2021. Though there are a few positions they could address on that side of the ball with their first pick, it seems like this is the year they are most likely to seek offensive help. However, history shows us that that probably won’t be a running back.