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

Pressure is off Ben Roethlisberger

With the Steelers drafting Harris, the running game get a shot in the arm, to say the least. It would be premature to say Najee Harris is the next Franco Harris or Jerome Bettis, but it is not out of line to expect Harris to rush for somewhere between 900 to 1200 yards in his rookie season -perhaps even chip in another 200 receiving yards and possibly 8-10 total touchdowns. Even with the offensive line woes, we can assume that he will do this at a more efficient rate than their current running backs.

If he even comes close to numbers like that, it will take a lot of pressure off Ben Roethlisberger. It will open up the passing game in that a few play-action plays could leave Chase Claypool or JuJu Smith-Schuster wide open. Opponents will have to respect the run game for the first time since Le’Veon Bell back in 2017.

Face it: the Steelers offense in the playoff game with Cleveland was so one-dimensional, it’s no wonder that the Browns annihilated us. If Pittsburgh had a rushing game back in January, it’s unlikely the Browns could have put up 28 unanswered points in the first quarter. In addition, if Big Ben does not have the pressure to win games single-handedly, it allows him to work his 4th quarter magic, when needed, something he has done better than most other quarterbacks in the NFL.