5 talented Steelers who are not yet deserving of Pro Bowl honors
By Tommy Jaggi
Steelers RB Najee Harris
Look, I get that the numbers look good on the whole, but there is so much more that goes into the running back position than raw stats. Entering Week 12, Najee Harris has 685 yards and 5 touchdowns, but he’s also averaging just 3.6 yards per carry on the season. Additionally, his expected points added (EPA) in nearly every game has been below NFL average — indicating that his impact really isn’t as big as what fans would like to make it out to be.
This doesn’t mean that Najee isn’t a good player. You can clearly see the traits of a workhorse running back, and his inexperienced offensive line isn’t doing him any favors. His lack of efficiency would indicate that he shouldn’t be credited with Pro Bowl honors this year.
It’s also hard to make a case for Najee Harris over some of the talented, productive running backs in the AFC right now. Colts RB Jonathan is having an absurdly good season with 1,122 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns on 5.8 yards per carry. Derrick Henry, Nick Chubb, and Joe Mixon have all outperformed Harris as well.
I know that Najee is already a fan favorite and is going to garner a lot of fan votes. While I’m confident he will make the Pro Bowl in the future, I just don’t think it should happen from year one.