Derrick Harmon is headed to the Steel City.
The former Oregon Ducks defensive tackle was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers with the No. 21 overall pick of the NFL draft Thursday night. Harmon is the first UO player ever selected in the first round by the Steelers.
“It’s truly a blessing,” Harmon said on a conference call with reporters in Pittsburgh Thursday night. “It was a little bittersweet. My mom wasn’t with me. She’s at the hospital right now on life support. After I get off the phone, I’m going to head straight to the hospital and tell her her son got drafted.”
Harmon’s mother, Tiffany Saine, had a stroke in 2022 that left her paralyzed on her left side. She died shortly after he was drafted Thursday night.
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His four-year contract, with a fifth-year club option, is projected to be worth $17,973,596 with a $9,711,704 signing bonus, according to OverTheCap.com.
A consensus second-team All-American, Harmon had 45 tackles (10.5 for loss) with five sacks, four pass breakups and two forced fumbles this season — all career-highs. The redshirt junior led all FBS interior defensive linemen with 55 total pressures last season and generated at least three pressures in 13 of 14 games.
“He has Steelers DNA,” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said. “For us it starts inside and up front. This is a guy that is capable of dominating that space versus the run and the pass. We are excited about having him. Really excited about getting him in here and getting started.
“There is no substitute for young talent. You don’t have a chance to build a quality defense unless you are stout inside and up front. This is a guy that has an opportunity to learn from the likes of Cam Heyward and put his hand in the pile and be a significant contributor for us for years to come.”
Harmon took a top 30 visit to Pittsburgh and had a formal meeting with the Steelers during the NFL combine. He also visited the Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions, Minnesota Vikings and New York Jets and had a formal meeting with Kansas City.
“I think he has been impressive in every step of the process for us,” Tomlin said. “His tape was impressive. We had great visits with him in Indy. He came to Pittsburgh, and we had a great day with him. With each interaction we got more and more comfortable that he was our type of guy.”
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Harmon came to Oregon for one season after spending the first three years of his career at Michigan State.
His 83.9 overall grade from Pro Football Focus ranked No. 13th among FBS interior defensive linemen, and his pass-rush grade of 86.3 tied for fourth at the position.
“He’s a smart guy. He’s a football guy,” Tomlin said. “He has natural leadership skills. The people at Oregon were really blown away by his ability to fit in, and not only fit in but lead in a short period of time. He had a similar reputation at Michigan State. The tangible things are obvious, but we were equally impressed with his intangible qualities. His intellect, his relationship with the game, his natural leadership qualities.”
Though Harmon did not miss any playing time at Oregon, a reported shoulder injury arose during the pre-draft process that raised concerns with some teams.
Asked about Harmon’s injury, Tomlin said the Steelers were “extremely comfortable with that component.”
Harmon said he is not concerned about his shoulder issue.
“I don’t know, man, I’m fully up and ready to go,” Harmon said. “I don’t have any concerns. I’m ready to get to work.”
Harmon is 23rd player in program history to be picked in the first round of the NFL draft, including 11 since 2013. He is the fifth Oregon defensive lineman and just the third defensive tackle drafted in the first round, the last being Arik Armstead, who went No. 15 to the San Francisco 49ers in 2015.
It’s the first time in program history that Oregon players were drafted in the first round in six consecutive years as Harmon joins Bo Nix (No. 12 in 2024, Denver Broncos), Christian Gonzalez (No. 17 in 2023, New England Patriots), Kayvon Thibodeaux (No. 5 in 2022, New York Giants), Penei Sewell (No. 7 in 2021, Detroit Lions) and Justin Herbert (No. 6 in 2020, Los Angeles Chargers).
Harmon ran the 40-yard dash in 4.95 seconds, which tied for fifth among the 19 interior defensive linemen who ran at the NFL Scouting Combine. The 6-foot-4 1/2 and 313-pound Harmon showed his speed and agility during position drills at the combine and Oregon’s pro day last month.
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-- James Crepea covers the Oregon Ducks and Big Ten. Listen to the Ducks Confidential podcast or subscribe to the Ducks Roundup newsletter.
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