by Bo Marchionte
There was plenty of anticipation and hype to see the Steelers No. 1 pick in 2021, Najee Harris run the football in the preseason opener at the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game.
“It’s a really good start for him,” Mike Tomlin said after the 16-3 win over the Dallas Cowboys.
Harris first carry went for six yards on the Steelers second play of the game. His first reception came on the following play that went for three yards.
“I thought he showed some of the things he’s been showing in practice,” Tomlin said. “That’s what we are looking for, we weren’t looking for the spectacular. I talked to him and others during the course of the week. We wanted to make the routine play. Routinely.
Overall, Harris touched the football eight times in the season opener, more than any player on the roster. It probably is a sign of things to come as the offense will switch gears with new offensive coordinator Matt Canada.
Pittsburgh will hope the current trend of high-end Alabama running backs will mirror what they have in their 6-foot-2 and 229-pound tailback. Since 2016, the Crimson Tide have watched six of their alumni drafted into the National Football League.
Harris was selected 24th overall, the exact number as Josh Jacobs in 2019 and 21 selections higher than Derrick Henry taken 45th overall in the second round of the 2016 NFL Draft. The top tier backs have proven to be trust worthy of their draft day one and two selections.
Jacobs and Henry have reached the 1,000-yard mark in five of the seven combined seasons, with Henry doubling the mark in 2020, with 2027 rushing yards, the fifth best of all-time.
“He did all the things we been watching him do, so it’s really good start for him,” Tomlin said.
Finishing with seven carries for 22 and one reception for three it was his demeanor on a third and 12 play that signaled his prowess for winning football. With Mason Rudolph under duress, he threw to his left to James Washington but missed Harris in the flat off to his right.
With some open space and an opportunity to possibly make the first-round, Harris’s body language suggested disappointed, possibly frustration in the missed chance to help Pittsburgh continue their drive before the second half was ending. This was preseason football and a first-round pick from one of the most successful college programs of all-time is upset because the offense could not convert a first down.
In preseason game!
His character is as exceptional as his athleticism which is one reason why he continued to climb up NFL Draft boards throughout his college season. Evidence of his positive demeanor shined brightly when he held his draft party at a homeless shelter in California where he once lived.
“He’s mature,” Mason Rudolph said. “He’s one of the most mature rookies I’ve been around. He wasn’t wide-eyed. He was ready for primetime.
It’s absurdly premature to mention Harris in the same breath as the other 32 running backs who have their bronze bust in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, but one key ingredient does exist.
His first-round pedigree.
Amongst those 32 enshrined players at the same position, 23 have come from the first-round of the NFL Draft. Harris taken 24th overall at least has that on his young resume.
Harris made his NFL debut in Canton and Pittsburgh will hope his final NFL moment will be getting enshrined into the hallowed halls.
Photo Credit Frank Hyatt