Steelers take Najee Harris at No. 24

2021 Reese's Senior Bowl Practice
Getty Images

Nearly 50 years after taking running back Franco Harris in round one, the Steelers have added another tailback named Harris in the first round of the draft.

At No. 24, the Steelers have selected Alabama running back Najee Harris.

It was a clear need for the Steelers, a need they were determined to address unless Tulsa linebacker Zaven Collins had been still on the board. Collins was gone, so Harris was the guy.

The selection shows that the Steelers are determined to create better balance in the offense this year, with a commitment to the running game that was lacking in 2020.

34 responses to “Steelers take Najee Harris at No. 24

  1. No offensive line. Running backs constantly hit in the backfield so let’s draft a new running back. Smh

  2. Reach. I’m sorry but he’s the lesser part of that Alabama O in my opinion. I honestly think people see him and think Henry from Tennessee Titans and he’s sort of the junior whopper version of him. I think he’s going to be way too slow for the NFL without the requisite power or first step to make up for it

  3. They have their formula I guess. Like LBs, no need to take one Rnd 1. You’ll be hard pressed to find many Super bowl Winners with a top 3 rusher.

  4. Bad offensive line that lost three starters… draft a running back. Steelers are staring at the basement.

  5. Napgamer
    Excellent point. Especially about being hit in the backfield. Harris takes the same time to get to to speed as a jumbo jet does to get airborne. This is a bad match. In my opinion.

  6. They needed an explosive, ankle breaking home-run threat here and they had a shot at one but they let Travis Etienne go Jacksonville and they chose this plodding back instead. I hope he has some tread left on his tires after spending 4 years in the SEC grinder

  7. Solid need pick. This draft is rich in O-linemen, which they can address tomorrow and Saturday.

  8. The Steelers had a HUGE need at RB and got the best one in the draft hands down.

  9. It’s an OK pick but can’t be compared to Franco Harris or Jerome Bettis. They both had blocking backs to help them. (Rocky Blier/Franco and Tim Lester/Jason Witten for Jerome). Hopefully the Steelers go back to that system. Tim Tebow might be available if his TE try-out with Jacksonville doesn’t pan out.

  10. They’re already making comparisons to Franco Harris. Gimme a freakin’ break.

    _________________________

    He literally only said that they’re both first round running backs named Harris. Nothing about production or projection. Relax.

  11. Lots of work to do in Pittsburgh. This is only a start and a big down payment on both this season and the next when you have no QB. Ben needs some help or they are doomed to that dink and dunk offense of last year. If they can at least get some running game, they have a chance. It’s easier to change one position than the 4 linemen and tight end deficiencies. It also sets up for next year when you have no Ben and have to use Mason

  12. The Steelers have already revamped the offensive line to a large degree, for anyone who’s paying attention. They also have a new OC who is strong in the run game, and Harris will be an excellent all-round feature back.

  13. This years draft is a relatively deep one when it comes to linemen so there’s plenty to go around. I would have gone RB first too. Sure you can get a RB in later rounds but the steelers have done just that the past few years and ended up with a RB committee of career backups. They need a guy who can go in there and pound the ball. The O line will be fine.

  14. Anyone paying attention to the Steelers running game the last 2-3 years knows that both the RB and OL line needed to be addressed, not just one. Not only that, but both were of equal urgency. Easy to see who has been paying attention and who hasn’t based on comments.

  15. They just can’t help themselves with the offensive hood ornaments.

    Lol. Mack Jones is the hood ornament on an Edsel. Yesterday the Steelers were dumb for letting it leak that they wanted to draft Harris….who looks dumb now.

  16. Very good pick but they must address the offensive line with 2 picks today. A starting center would be huge.

  17. touchback6 says:
    April 30, 2021 at 8:32 am
    lol!!

    They just can’t help themselves with the offensive hood ornaments.
    ———

    LOL Stidham is the future like you called it.

  18. Love all the negative comments here about Harris. Will love them even more when this dude pops for 1,500 yards next year.

Leave a Reply

You must be logged in to leave a comment. Not a member? Register now!

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.