PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – With several highly ranked offensive linemen still available, why did the Steelers go with running back Najee Harris in the first round of the NFL Draft Thursday?
"To be able to get a player like that, at that pick, without having to trade up was exciting," said Steelers GM Kevin Colbert.
In his third decade with the Steelers, Colbert said there were eight players that if available they wouldn't move on from and Harris was one of them.
"We were very excited that he was there for us," Colbert said. "When we went through our scenarios. It was an easy decision by us that if Najee Harris is available, we will pick him."
The Steelers had six different looks at him. Colbert visited with him at the Senior Bowl and saw him in person for an Alabama game. Mike Tomlin spoke with him remotely a few times.
"He's got a nice combination of size, strength and athleticism," Tomlin said. "His pick and vision is excellent in terms of finding holes. He shows patience while doing that. He's a complete back. He's very good in the passing game, whether it's routes out of the backfield or aligning outside of the backfield. There are not a lot of holes in his overall game."
"He's a three down NFL back," Colbert said. "He played in a NFL system. Really his one hidden trait. He finds invisible yards at that second level. There are times you think he should be going down and he finds six, seven, eight yards."
Colbert says he's not one to devalue running backs because of some of the new offensive schematics.
"I've been fortunate to be around two Hall of Fame runners in Jerome Bettis and Barry Sanders," Colbert said. "I don't think you could ever devalue greatness at a running back position. Is Najee going to be a great player? We hope so. We selected Najee because we believe he's an NFL player that can help us win."
It's what he did at Alabama. Returning to for a senior season to win a national championship impressed the Steelers brass. Steelers said he went against the trend of players leaving early so he could win a title and improve his game. He rushed for 1,466 yards and 26 touchdowns in 2020. The career numbers, 3,843 yards rushing and 46 touchdowns with another 781 yards and 11 touchdowns receiving.
Harris joins the worst rushing attack in the NFL. Tomlin acknowledges it will take more than an All-American tailback to correct their issues.
"It's our intensions to turn around the run game whether or not our work is complete as we sit here tonight or not," Tomlin said. "Whether it's the acquisition of players, the development of schematics, the finding of cohesion within our staff. Our intentions are to improve our running game."
Tomlin is one that thinks Harris can impact right away, not just because he played in a pro offense, but he appears physically ready.
"A significant component is his professional level of conditioning," Tomlin said. "Along with his pedigree, I think that could be a catalyst to be an immediate component to our offense and to our team. A lot to be excited about tonight."
