When the Pittsburgh Steelers selected Derrick Harmon with the 21st overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, they landed a high-character player with an outstanding combination of size and burst at the defensive tackle position. But who are they getting with this selection? That's where NFL player comparisons come in.
Harmon's player comps have been all over the place, and it's hard to find a consensus that will agree on the player he's most likely to become at the next level. One of my favorite pieces to write each year is a breakdown of the high-end, low-end, and most likely NFL player comparisons for the Steelers' top draft picks, and Harmon was the most interesting evaluation I've done.
Since early in the pre-draft process, I've grinded hours of Derrick Harmon film. Using a combination of size profile, athletic traits, and play style, I've put together my pro comparisons for the Pittsburgh Steelers' top draft choice in 2025.
Low-end NFL player comparison: DaQuan Jones
Derrick Harmon is a better athlete than DaQuan Jones, but from a size and play style perspective, this comp makes sense. Jones isn't an elite run defender, and he moves better on film for a big man than his pedestrian testing numbers would suggest.
Jones entered the league at 6'4'' and 322 pounds in the 2014 NFL Draft. Though he can be disruptive from the backfield, this has only translated to modest production throughout his career. Jones never earned so much as a Pro Bowl, but the former fourth-round pick of the Tennessee Titans started a ton of games in the NFL in a career that spanned over a decade.
At 6'4 1/2'' and 313 pounds, Harmon shares a similar size profile to Jones. If he fails to live up to lofty expectations with his pass rush ability and only proves to be an average run defender at the next level, he could still have a long career as an NFL starter, much like Daquan Jones.
Most likely NFL player comparison: Alim McNeill
I hesitated making this my most likely player comparison for Derrick Harmon because of the difference in height and length. At a hair under 6'2'' and with a 79-inch wingspan, Alim McNeill is more compact than Harmon. But when you put on the tape, it's so easy to see how their playstyles mirror each other.
Both Harmon and McNeill are nimble-footed big men who routinely find their way into the backfield with finesse, bust, and fluidity. McNeill, a third-round pick by the Lions in the 2021 draft, was an excellent athlete with foot quickness and the ability to convert speed to power.
While McNeill isn't always the most consistent run defender, he's shown the ability to stop the ball carrier dead in his tracks at times. The athletic defensive tackle is coming off his second straight season in which he graded out as a top-10 interior defender in the NFL.
Once Harmon refines his game, he could be a similar player, but with more height and length. If you want a most likely player comp who fits a more similar size profile, Christian Wilkins is a respectable comp.
High-end NFL player comparison: Kenny Clark
Because of his elite combination of size and burst with a non-stop motor, the sky is the limit to Harmon's potential in the NFL. But a reasonable high-end player comparison would be Green Bay Packers star Kenny Clark. Clark was a first-round pick in the 2016 NFL Draft who's a three-time Pro Bowl player.
Clark was a raw 21-year-old coming into the NFL, and his pro career started off slow. He earned just two starts as a rookie and 4.5 sacks in his first two seasons before taking off. At 6'3'' and 314 pounds, Harmon is a slightly more stretched-out version of Clark.
Both players have exceptional quickness, burst, and mobility for 310-plus pound interior defenders. Clark has the ability to hold up at the point of attack, but is considered by many to be a better interior pass rusher than run defender. Clark never had elite production in Green Bay, but his efforts didn't go unnoticed, and he's been a player that opposing teams must account for.
Realistically, Derrick Harmon's ceiling is as high as any of these players mentioned, and how much he can refine his game and perfect his craft could determine which player he's most likely to mirror in the NFL.