The Pittsburgh Steelers’ 2025 offseason practices concluded in the course of June and subsequent up is the staff’s annual coaching camp, which can get underway within the latter a part of July at Saint Vincent Faculty in Latrobe. Forward of that, we’ll preview the staff’s offseason roster three gamers at a time. This Steelers roster preview, which incorporates an outlook for each participant, can be performed alphabetically by final identify to make it straightforward to comply with. This sequence figures to exceed 90 gamers this 12 months because the staff can carry 91 gamers in the course of the offseason as a result of allowance of 1 worldwide participant designation.
The subsequent three gamers we’ll preview forward of Steelers 2025 coaching camp are Derrick Harmon, Devin Harper, and Malik Harrison.
DT Derrick Harmon: The Steelers chosen Harmon within the first spherical of the 2025 NFL Draft out of Oregon and that marked the primary time the staff has picked a defensive lineman within the first spherical since Cameron Heyward in 2011.
Harmon began his school profession at Michigan State in 2021 and performed three years there earlier than transferring to Oregon in 2024. For his school profession, Harmon performed in 42 video games on his option to registering 116 mixed tackles, 18 tackles for loss, 8.5 sacks, six passes defensed, three compelled fumbles, and three fumble recoveries.
Harmon performed up and down the line of defense whereas in school with a big majority of his snaps coming with him lined up within the B hole. He initiatives to be a defensive finish within the Steelers’ system and used equally to the way in which Heyward has been used most of his NFL profession. Harmon was repeatedly comped as a youthful model of Heyward all through the pre-draft course of.
On the 2025 NFL Scouting Mix, Harmon measured in at 6044, 313-pounds with 34 3/8-inch arms and 10 3/8-inch fingers. He ran his 40-yard sprint in 4.95-seconds on the Mix.
Outlook: With Harmon being a first-round choice this 12 months, we should always anticipate him to get numerous taking part in time proper out of the chute. Actually, Harmon would possibly very properly wind up being a starter on the Steelers’ line of defense as soon as the common season will get underway.
One of many main hits on Harmon as he enters the NFL is that he may have completed extra sacks and tackles for loss all through his school profession. He did come into his personal extra as a cross rusher at Oregon and appears to have room for much more improvement in that section of his recreation.
Harmon have to be a sound run defender for the Steelers proper from the beginning. There may be room for enchancment in that a part of his defensive recreation as properly, particularly in the case of him not lacking tackles.
Harmon needs to be anticipated to play a excessive quantity of defensive snaps in his first NFL season, one that may hopefully finish with him successful the staff’s annual Joe Greene Nice Efficiency Award, which is offered yearly by Pittsburgh Chapter of Professional Soccer Writers of America to the Steelers’ prime rookie.
ILB Devin Harper: Chosen by the Dallas Cowboys within the sixth spherical of the 2022 NFL Draft out of Oklahoma State, Harper spent the entire 2024 season with the Steelers as a member of their apply squad. Since being drafted, Harper has been a member of the Cincinnati Bengals along with the Cowboys and Steelers.
Achilles tendinitis primarily worn out Harper’s 2022 rookie season. He spent most of that season on the Cowboys’ Reserve/Injured checklist.
For his NFL profession so far, Harper has appeared in 12 video games together with his final motion coming in 2023. An inside linebacker, Harper has logged all of 4 defensive snaps in regular-season play and 195 extra on particular groups.
Three of Harper’s 5 whole NFL tackles have come on particular groups.
Outlook: For myriad causes, Harper can have a particularly powerful time making the staff’s 53-man roster this summer time. The Steelers have a really full inside linebacker depth chart, firstly, and it consists of Patrick Queen, Payton Wilson, Cole Holcomb, Malik Harrison, Mark Robinson, and rookie draft choose Carson Bruener.
Whereas he was on the Steelers’ apply squad all of final season, Harper was by no means elevated for any regular-season video games and never even for particular groups functions. He additionally solely has restricted NFL recreation motion to this point with most of his taking part in time approaching particular groups, and thus not on protection.
Realistically, Harper is probably going competing for a spot on the Steelers’ apply squad this summer time. If, nonetheless, he has a strong coaching camp and preseason on protection and particular groups, and particularly the latter, that may no less than assist his 53-man roster trigger to some extent.
At most, the Steelers will doubtless hold 5 inside linebackers on their 53-man roster this 12 months. Harper can have his work reduce out for him in the case of touchdown a type of spots. The apply squad makes much more sense for him.
ILB Malik Harrison: The Steelers signed Harrison to a two-year, $10 million contract in March, and he was given a $4.08 million signing bonus as a part of the deal, the one assured cash in it. Harrison’s 2025 wage cap cost can be simply $3.21 million.
Chosen by the Baltimore Ravens within the third spherical of the 2020 NFL Draft out of Ohio State, Harrison has registered 174 whole regular-season tackles together with one cross defensed, two sacks, and 4 quarterback hits. He has logged 1,252 defensive snaps and 1,558 extra snaps on particular groups in regular-season motion. He has additionally began 34 video games since coming into the NFL together with his first 5 seasons being spent in Baltimore.
Harrison has largely performed inside linebacker within the NFL, however he does have some restricted expertise dashing off the sting. He did, nonetheless, miss 12 tackles in 2024 as a member of the Ravens and has 24 of these for his NFL profession. In protection for his NFL profession so far, Harrison has allowed 59 receptions for 680 yards and 5 touchdowns on 70 targets in regular-season contests, in response to Professional Soccer Focus. He’s a greater run defender than he’s a protection participant.
Outlook: The Steelers didn’t re-sign ILB Elandon Roberts this offseason so Harrison will doubtless be requested to fill a few of these vacated snaps on protection. Clearly, Queen can be one starter on the within and certain an every-down participant. Wilson is more likely to see his defensive taking part in time improve in his second NFL season, so he and Harrison are more likely to jockey for weekly snaps with down, distance, and scenario taking part in an enormous function in that.
Harrison is extra of a downhill participant, a thumper, so to talk, and thus may see most of his 2025 defensive taking part in time in opposition to the run and on early downs. All advised, Harrison may log round 300 defensive snaps in 2025 and perhaps much more than that ought to accidents hit the within linebacker place. Harrison is more likely to log fairly a number of particular groups snaps in 2025 as properly, and he may wind up being a core participant for these models.
On the very least, Harrison is predicted to make the 53-man roster later this summer time after which go on to decorate each recreation that he’s wholesome sufficient to play in. It will likely be attention-grabbing to see if Holcomb additionally makes the 53-man roster this 12 months as his ability set is considerably just like Harrison’s.
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