When the Pittsburgh Steelers turned in their card for Derrick Harmon with the 21st overall pick in Round 1, many fans were pleased. The former Oregon Ducks defensive lineman has a rare physical profile and remarkable athletic traits that give him a high ceiling in the NFL.
Harmon's non-stop motor and ability to generate quick pressure could also give him a high floor at the next level. Though he still needs refinement, he's a moldable ball of clay who comes at a major positional need for the Steelers.
But there's a reason he started plummeting on the consensus board just before the 2025 NFL Draft.
In the days leading up to the draft, we learned of medical red flags for Harmon. Mike Garafolo of NFL Network claimed this was due to a shoulder injury (though we didn't know the severity of the issue).
Unfortunately, it looks like there's more than just that.
Dane Brugler, while recently ranking the draft classes of all 32 teams on The Athletic, subtly brought up Harmon's injury concerns. Apparently, it's not just a shoulder injury we have to worry about with the big defensive lineman. Harmon was also flagged for back and hip issues.
Brugler praised the Steelers' draft and explained that Harmon was his favorite pick Pittsburgh made this year, but he made sure to mention these injury concerns.
"I have to go with [Derrick] Harmon, who is my favorite prospect in the draft class and landed in the perfect spot," Brugler wrote on The Athletic. "The Detroit native is consistently disruptive and can line up anywhere on the Steelers’ defensive line. Despite some medical concerns related to his back and hip, it won’t be surprising if he becomes the next Cam Heyward."
These new issues will have fans wanting to dive to the bottom of this. While the Pittsburgh Steelers cleared Harmon medically, other teams, like the Cincinnati Bengals, were not comfortable drafting him in the first round because of the medical red flags. Now we have to hope these concerns are insignificant.
The Pittsburgh Steelers took a chance on Derrick Harmon despite injury concerns
We don't know the severity of Derrick Harmon's medical concerns, and perhaps we never will. Last year, the Pittsburgh Steelers took a sliding Troy Fautanu in Round 1 despite being flagged for a knee issue. Unfortunately, Fautanu ended up playing in just one game during his rookie season before suffering a season-ending knee injury.
Now, fans are scared that we could find ourselves in a similar situation with Harmon. There's no question the tools were worth a gamble. Following the NFL Combine in February, the Oregon product almost seemed out of reach for Pittsburgh. But if his medicals don't check out, you can understand why he would slip in the draft.
If these are minor issues that won't impact Harmon over his career, there's nothing to be worried about. But until we get a bit of clarity on this, these medical red flags will always be in the back of our minds.
I love Derrick Harmon as a prospect, and I was pleased when the Pittsburgh Steelers selected him in Round 1. Let's hope his shoulder, back, and hip issues are minor and not a concerning sign of things to come.