Why Najee Harris was the best option for Steelers in the NFL Draft

Many fans question the Najee Harris pick in the first round, but here’s why he was the best option for the Steelers this year.

The selection of Najee Harris should not be a surprise to anyone. Make no doubt the Steelers needed a running back. They chose not to resign James Connor this offseason, and the only free agent running back they signed was Kalen Ballage, which seemed a strange choice. However, that decision meant only one thing as long as one of the top three options for a running back were available, that’s who the Steelers selected.

So many fans and analysts hoped for a tackle or another linebacker, as they could have debated that they were among the best players available when Pittsburgh was on the clock.  Sure there were options to take one. Yet, none of those options made sense for the Steelers at the 24th selection. Here is why the Steelers took Harris as their first selection:

Top running backs were snatched up quickly

If the Steelers did not pull the trigger on a running back on the first selection, they would not have other options. That’s not to say the Steelers couldn’t draft a running back in the 2nd or 3rd round, but any other decent options would be off the board. Had the Steelers not pulled the trigger, the top three would have been off the board by pick number 55.

Jacksonville scooped up Travis Etienne with the 25th selection (just one pick after the Steelers), and Denver took Javonte Williams at the 35th overall pick. The remaining running backs are mainly late draft selections and would not fundamentally change the Steelers rushing game.  Perhaps in any other draft, Harris would have been an early round-two selection. 2021 is an unordinary draft class. So while one could argue Harris at number one might be a bad value, they had no other logical option.