Steelers fans should have relatively low expectations for RB Najee Harris this year

Najee Harris is a remarkable talent, but here’s why Steelers fans should lower their expectations for the rookie running back in 2021. 

Many of you already know my position on taking running backs in the first round. I’m not a fan of spending elite draft capital on a player that may only see one contract for the Steelers, and studies have shown that running backs drastically decline in terms of efficiency at age 26.

While this isn’t the case for every player, the point still remains. When it comes to Najee Harris, I think he’s a terrific talent. He’s one of the better running backs to come into the NFL over the past five years thanks to his size, durability, and ability to run, block, and catch. However, when looking at what the former Alabama star will accomplish during his rookie seasons, we may want to lower our expectations.

In order for a running back to have success, the guys up front must be doing their jobs. After sitting at Heinz Field observing training camp practices, I can say that this is a legitimate concern. In addition to the projected starters having yet to play a snap with each other, what we have seen from the players on the field at this point does not look promising.

Kendrick Green – Steelers third-round pick and projected starter at center this year – looks like he could really use a year to sit and learn before being thrust into action from day one. It’s hard to get a good feel for how he performed in team sessions without the ability to go back and put on the film later, but he really struggled in one-on-ones as Tyson Alualu manhandled him far too often.

Dan Moore Jr. has been even worse. Though Chukwuma Okorafor will be taking over when he’s fully healthy, he graded out as one of the worst offensive tackles in football in 2020, according to Pro Football Focus, and he is going to have to make a big transition to left tackle after still not playing a snap with his team this summer. Moore was an athletic, developmental prospect who clearly needs some time, as he’s lost nearly every battle against Alex Highsmith during training camp.

In addition, Kevin Dotson has only trained individually so far and hasn’t taken a snap during team sessions, while Trai Turner has been less than stellar during training camp practices.

What should we expect from Steelers rookie RB?

Though Najee Harris could certainly prove to be one of the best running backs in the league down the line, we may want to temper our expectations for the here and now. We have seen even some of the best running backs struggle behind poor offensive line play, and running backs are typically only as good as the blockers they have in front of them.

Le’Veon Bell is even an example of this. Playing with a mostly inexperienced offensive line as a rookie back in 2013, Bell didn’t have a lot of running room and was only able to muster up 3.5 yards per carry despite a heavy workload. Obviously, he went on to become a terrific football player, but the do-it-all running back couldn’t do much as a rookie.

Coming out of college, Harris is an even better prospect than Bell, but he could possibly be running behind a worse offensive line than Bell ever had during his time in Pittsburgh.

I have no doubt that Najee Harris is a good football player and I think he will prove that in the future, but there’s going to be some really tough sledding for the rookie running back in 2021. We shouldn’t expect a Pro Bowl-level performance from the gate.