The Pittsburgh Steelers think they found a cornerstone interior defender in the 2025 NFL Draft. With the 21st overall selection last April, general manager Omar Khan was quick to punch his card for Derrick Harmon, the young standout defensive tackle out of Oregon.
While Harmon dealt with injuries as a rookie, his impact was notable in the 12 games he played as a rookie in 2025. Harmon proved to be an anchor in run defense while making his way to the quarterback for three sacks. In other words, he was as advertised, entering the draft.
But don't tell that to the panel at ESPN.
On Tuesday, ESPN's panel constructed a two-round 2025 NFL re-draft. Not only did they have the Steelers passing on Harmon for Cleveland Browns' defensive tackle Mason Graham with the 21st overall pick, but ESPN had Harmon falling out of the first round entirely.
And we're not talking about falling to the top of the second round—Harmon plummeted so hard in this re-draft that, had the Steelers not traded the 52nd overall pick to the Seattle Seahawks for DK Metcalf, they could have taken him in the second round.
With the 56th overall pick in this 2025 two-round redraft, ESPN finally Harmon's egregious slide stop, as he landed with the Buffalo Bills. In real life, the Chicago Bears traded with the Bills for this selection to draft offensive lineman Ozzy Trapilo.
ESPN grossly underestimates Pittsburgh Steelers' 2025 first-round pick, Derrick Harmon
Derrick Harmon is hardly a finished product... but we all knew that when the Steelers drafted him.
The former Michigan State transfer had one awesome season with the Oregon Ducks before declaring for the NFL Draft at 21 years old. On film, Harmon lacked an elite pass rush plan, while his hand usage and technique were inconsistent. Still, he had all the upside a team could ask for.
At 6'4 1/2'' and 313 pounds with 34 3/8'' arms and 4.95 speed, Harmon has a tremendous frame with excellent athletic traits. These were on full display as a rookie. The splits with Harmon on and off the field were night and day, as the run defense was among the worst in the league in the five games he missed, while being one of the better units in football in the 12 games he played as a rookie.
While ESPN may have had a narrow-minded view in their 2025 NFL re-draft, we know that it takes even good defensive linemen some time to develop.
Cameron Heyward, a four-time First-Team All-Pro and 2011 first-round pick, recorded just two-and-a-half sacks combined in his first two seasons despite playing 32 games. In fact, Heyward didn't collect more than seven-and-a-half sacks in a season until his seventh year in the NFL, when he finally made his first Pro Bowl.
ESPN's decision to knock Harmon for having adequate production in a rookie season that included a pair of MCL sprains doesn't make much sense to Pittsburgh Steelers fans who are looking at the long-term picture. We all know his potential, and allowing him to fall to pick 56—even in an entirely hypothetical NFL re-draft—seems like an egregious move.