For Najee Harris, playing football for the Steelers shares some similarities with his time at Alabama. But he still has a few things to learn.
Harris, Pittsburgh’s running back and first-round pick in this year’s NFL Draft, completed the second day of the Steelers’ rookie minicamp Saturday.
Not only did he go through the motions of stretching and individual drills, he also stood out as the team worked through some of the playbook, including a one-handed, acrobatic catch on a designed passing play.
The catch didn’t come as a surprise to him. Being asked about it, however, certainly did.
“Oh, you saw that,” Harris asked back. “You guys are here? Where are you guys at?”
When Harris was informed that members of the media watch from the balcony of the team’s South Side training facility, his answer showed just how green the 23-year-old is to the pro game.
“Man, I thought ya’ll were boosters,” he said. “What the hell, that’s crazy.”
Yeah, no boosters at this level, Najee.
Watching Harris’ personality grow in Pittsburgh will be interesting. He's engaging, willing to quip back with the media, and has a Southern California vibe to his demeanor.
Watching his play on the field grow will be even more interesting.
Harris is long, lean, powerful and — with no offense intended to the other young players in attendance Saturday — was hands down the most impressive athlete on the field.
How Steelers’ new offensive coordinator Matt Canada uses Harris remains to be seen. But it might look familiar to those accustomed to his exploits with the Crimson Tide.
“I’ve always been catching the ball, man,” he said. “I always do that! Not to brag or nothing, but it wasn’t luck or nothing. It’s not something I work on. It’s just something I’ve been doing since middle school. I’ve got big hands.”
Canada has never been a coordinator at the pro level, but Pitt fans are certainly aware of what he was able to accomplish leading the Panthers’ offense in 2016.
“The way (the Steelers) utilize their players and have their whole scheme and everything, it’s good and something you can really learn off of, especially a rookie like me,” Harris said. “I’m going to do my best to learn off of them… I’m trying to be a sponge as much as I can.”
Harris feels that, structurally, what the Steelers want to do with him and what he did at Alabama — specifically with his usage in the passing game — will be similar. His earliest challenge will be learning the new terminology.
He’s also trying to assimilate himself with a new head coach.
“He’s really a people’s person,” Harris said of Mike Tomlin. “He really takes time out of his day to get to know the players that he’s drafted and that he has. He really cares for the players… He always has a ball of energy and people just feed of of that.”
Tomlin, and the NFL, seem to be a bit more relaxed than what Harris dealt with in college.
“We got hella free time compared to Alabama,” he joked. “That’s cool.”
Harris seems primed to step in and help the Steelers right away. It’s a running back room that is not bursting with experience or production. But that doesn’t mean that Harris isn’t here to compete.
You could see it as he stood to the side, shadowboxing before starting a drill. Najee Harris is here for a fight.
“In college, the competition level is nowhere near the NFL," he said. "I always tell myself I have to start back at step one. I’m starting at all of the basics now and trying to relearn and be better at, like being more explosive, footwork, having better eyes.”
“In college, sometimes our line went against people who won’t be playing at the next level. In the NFL, you’re playing against the best of the best.”