The Pittsburgh Steelers have made it clear under Omar Khan that their priority is building out their trenches. Each of their first-round pick since Khan has taken over has been an investment in an offensive or defensive trench player.
We saw the team finally add a high-end investment in their defensive line just a year ago with Derrick Harmon.
The former Oregon defender was a steady presence on the Steelers' radar last year. He had the usual blend of size and athleticism that allowed Pittsburgh to ultimately take him in the first round.
However, his rookie season was a mixed bag. For a top pick, the team needs him to take his game to the next level this season.
The Pittsburgh Steelers need to get more out of Derrick Harmon
This isn’t to say that Harmon was bad as a rookie. He wasn’t. When healthy, he was a steady presence in the run game while also adding three sacks. He was a core member of the defensive line rotation when he wasn’t battling injuries.
The stats looked fine, but the tape felt lacking. At times, Harmon disappeared on defense, and his pass rush in particular was more effort-based as opposed to actually beating his man off the line.
Heading into year two, this former first-round pick needs to make a major leap forward. He could realistically outpace everyone else in this room.
While Cam Heyward is and will remain the de facto leader of the group, his snap count needs to continue to decrease to preserve him, given his age. Keeanu Benton has to play more as an end to see more reps, and his nose tackle work could be threatened by Yahya Black.
While this group is deeper than it has been, and no player has to take on the majority of snaps, Harmon needs to become the focal point of the group. While his run defense can still be a little behind Heyward and his pass rush could still lack behind Benton, he can’t disappear at times like last year.
While the defensive line can get by with a mediocre year from Harmon, the long-term outlook dramatically changes if he struggles. Harmon figures to be the next in line of Steelers defensive linemen. A bad year adds doubt to that hope.
While not talked about often, it feels like Harmon is in need of a big year to justify his draft spot. If he comes up short, the defensive line suddenly becomes a major question mark moving forward.
That would feel disasterous for a team that needs their defensive trenches to shine moving forward.
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