Former Steelers OT describes jolting welcome-to-the-NFL moment facing James Harrison

Every NFL player is met with a wake-up call early in their career; that moment when they realize they're playing with the big boys now. For former Steelers offensive tackle Kelvin Beachum, this came against one of the most intimidating defensive players of the 2000s: James Harrison.

Beachum recently joined Sterling Holmes on the Stacking The Box Podcast to discuss the importance of his ongoing partnership with World Vision to provide students with backpacks and school supplies at events in the Phoenix area. He also explained his unlikely NFL journey from a seventh-round draft choice to over a decade-long career as a starter.

That's when Holmes asked Beachum what is was like going up against James Harrison in practice.

"Yeah, welcome to the NFL. He showed me what it was really like to handle a bull rush," Beachum explained while describing his experience going up against Harrison as a rookie. "I got a lot of appreciation for him, I've got a lot of respect for him. I spent time with him and his family over the years..."

Beachum went on to explain that he has 'nothing but respect' for 'Deebo'. Harrison made the Pro Bowl in five straight seasons before Beachum joined the team in 2012 -- recording two First-Team All-Pros and earning Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2008.

Beachum can thank Harrison for jumpstarting his lengthy NFL career

The former Steelers offensive lineman can thank Harrison for the wake-up call that jump-started his career. Despite Beachum's late-round draft status, the undersized offensive tackle proved the stage wasn't too big for him.

Beachum had an uphill battle for playing time. If cracking the starting lineup wasn't hard enough, he had to compete with second-round pick Mike Adams for the top backup job at offensive tackle. When right tackle Marcus Gilbert went down with a season-ending injury, a window of opportunity arose for Beachum, and he took advantage.

Beachum went on to start 39 of 44 games in Pittsburgh before playing with the Jaguars, Jets, and Cardinals. Twelve years after being battle-tested by Harrison at Steelers training camp, Beachum has started 149 of 163 NFL games and is still going strong.

Though he didn't play his whole career in Pittsburgh, Beachum's success story goes down as one of the most inspiring in Steelers history... and he has James Harrison to thank for his electric start in the NFL.