Steelers best-case and worst-case scenarios for Najee Harris’s rookie season
By Andrew Falce
Final result
Ultimately, I think Harris’s season comes somewhere in between this. There are two overarching factors that I think will be critical for his success. For starters, can Harris avoid the injury bug that commonly plagues bell-cow running backs? I would guess no, as he had a lot of usage at Alabama and the position is a naturally physical one.
The other question is how good will this patched up line do? While the team has some intriguing players there, most of the line is unproven. If they have similar, or even worse, run blocking than the unit last year, Harris will be in for a long rookie year. This line is riddled with question marks, and while Harris is an upgrade in the backfield, he doesn’t make up for the inherent issues they may cause.
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At the end of the day, I think Harris takes his lumps during year one but flashes at times when the line can get a push. I’m hesitant to say he runs for over 1000 yards, but I think he hovers around that number. Where I think he makes a big impact is as a receiver and as a touchdown producer. He showed great hands that should translate quickly for the Steelers. Where I want to see him flat out dominate is on the goal line. My early guess is Harris posts around 1000-1100 total yards and scores around 10 times. What do you think? Let me know in the comments how you see Harris’s rookie season going.