5 reasons Najee Harris wasn’t a good value for the Steelers

While he seems like a great person and a solid running back, the Steelers didn’t get the best value that they could have in the 2021 draft.

Steelers’ nation has found a new face to root for in the form of Najee Harris, and while he has a relatively bright future ahead of him, one has to wonder if he was truly worth a first-round pick. While many will argue yes, considering his role with the team moving forward, it isn’t so clear-cut.

While a fine running back, there are plenty of reasons why he shouldn’t have been taken in the first round of the draft. Here are five reasons the Steelers were wrong to select Harris in the first round of the draft.

Steelers delayed the offensive line rebuild

An argument that is made seemingly on a constant basis, Harris supporters always harken back to how bad the line was this season. To be fair, that is a correct assessment. The Steelers offensive line was pathetic at times, and they certainly didn’t do Harris many favors when he was running the ball. That all said, the fact this line was so bad is a further reason why Harris shouldn’t have been chosen in the first round.

By going running back first, the Steelers missed out on one of the best players in the draft (Creed Humphrey) as well as a slew of other good line prospects. Now, the team still has a plethora of questions along their front five, and they will once again have to overhaul this offseason. This means Harris will be running behind a new line once again next season.

While Harris is a fine running back, the fact that he needs to have a good line to succeed harkens back to the idea that a line is more important than the back. While Harris can create on his own, he will be reliant on a better line to become an elite back. If he needs a line to compete though, the team should have drafted a lineman before a runner. Now, they have some of the same issues this offseason as they had in the last, and Harris will likely have to create on his own once again.