PITTSBURGH —The Pittsburgh Steelers' run defense was much better when Derrick Harmon was on the field in 2025.
As a newcomer, there was a certain aspect of being a professional that stood out to the 2025 first-round draft pick and massive defensive tackle.
"Just the little details of things, man," Harmon said after a minicamp practice at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex. "This league, you've gotta really be on your details and Ps and Qs. Everybody's a good athlete in this league."
The Steelers onboarded an almost entirely new coaching staff this offseason. Along with maintaining his body, Harmon is focusing on "just trying to keep my head down and get into this playbook," he said.
The Steelers' new defensive line coach, Domata Peko, believes Harmon is an effective run stuffer because of how he uses his hands. Harmon finished last season with three sacks and 27 combined tackles, along with a fumble recovery.
"Big Harm is a specimen, man," Peko said during OTAs last month. "It's pretty crazy getting him out there on the field and just seeing him move around. He's a big dude, but he moves around like a linebacker. He's really athletic, and (I'm) excited for him, as well."
Harmon is "just scratching the surface" of his abilities as a pass rusher, Peko added. Harmon has been working with defensive assistant Shawn Howe to sharpen his approaches to getting after the quarterback.
"All the tools that he has, man, it's a blessing for a coach," Peko said.
NFL analyst Sam Monson is putting his money on the Steelers' breakout player to be Harmon.
"I think you can argue that he's already pretty good," Monson said on his Check The Mic with Steve Palazzolo & Sam Monson podcast in June. "But I do think Harmon could be a real impact playmaker for the defensive line. I kind of expect the entire defensive line to be better this year than it was a year ago, and Derrick Harmon could be in line for a jump."
Pittsburgh Steelers defensive lineman Derrick Harmon warms up before an OTA practice on May 20, 2026. — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now
Acquired:The Steelers selected Oregon defensive tackle Derrick Harmon with the 21st pick in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
Last Year:Harmon won the "Joe Greene Great Performance Award" in 2025, which is given annually to Pittsburgh's top rookie.
Harmon made an immediate in his rookie season. The 6-foot-4, 313-pound defensive lineman played in 11 games, making 26 tackles, one for a loss, two sacks, four quarterback hits, a pass defended and a fumble recovery.
"He's really effective in the run because of the way he uses his hands. He's really good with strong hands," Steelers' defensive line coach Domata Peko said at OTAs. "And that's one thing I noticed when I first got this job, man, when I was looking at the tape before we started looking at the draft picks, before we started looking at free agents, we did a self-scout and I was really impressed by the way all of our guys use their hands, especially Big Harm."
DERRICK HARMON NFL CAREER STATS
| Year |
Team |
GP |
Tackles |
TFL |
Sack |
INT |
TD |
FF |
Recovery |
PD |
QB Hits |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 |
PIT |
12 |
27 |
1 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
5 |
DERRICK HARMON COLLEGE CAREER
Derrick Harmon wreaked havoc in opposing backfields for the Oregon Ducks in 2024, breaking onto the scene by leading the nation in quarterback pressures from the defensive tackle position with 55 in 2024—11 more than the next closest player, who had 44.
Prior to Harmon's breakout 2024 campaign with the Ducks, he spent the first three years of his collegiate career at Michigan State. There he racked up another 69 tackles, 3.5 sacks, one forced fumble and two passes defended.
DERRICK HARMON COLLEGE STATS
| Year |
College |
GP |
Tackles |
TFL |
Sack |
PD |
FF |
Recovery |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 |
Michigan State |
4 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| 2022 |
Michigan State |
12 |
30 |
3 |
3 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
| 2023 |
Michigan State |
12 |
40 |
3.5 |
3.5 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
| 2024 |
Oregon |
14 |
45 |
10.5 |
10.5 |
4 |
2 |
2 |
DERRICK HARMON PRE-DRAFT TESTING
Harmon did not qualify for the Relative Athletic Score due to a lack of measurements.
SALARY CAP AND CONTRACT
Harmon signed a four-year deal worth $17.97 million. The contract is fully guaranteed, including a signing bonus of approximately $9.7 million. It also includes a fifth-year option for the team.
ODDS AND ENDS
Harmon was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, and he attended Loyola High School, a small Catholic school. He was a three-star recruit in the class of 2021 and made history by becoming the first player from Loyola High School to be drafted into the NFL
MORE STEELERS ALL 90
Brendan Howe provided reporting from Pittsburgh.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now : Rising Steelers Star Derrick Harmon Is Just Scratching the Surface
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