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The Pittsburgh Steelers selection of running back Najee Harris in the first round of the 2021 NFL draft is going to be hotly debated well into the NFL season. How good or bad you thought the pick was depended on a variety of factors. We gave the Steelers a B+ for the pick but not everyone was so generous.
Our friends over at Touchdown Wire handed out grades for all 32 first-round picks and for the Steelers they gave them a C for the Harris pick. Here is what they had to say about the pick.
Grade: C. I have two issues with this pick. First, if you’re going to take a running back in the first round, make sure he’s the best in his class — and in my mind, North Carolina’s Javonte Williams has better power and contact balance than Harris. In addition, Harris ran behind an outstanding offensive line, which the Steelers do not have. I get the belief that Harris brings a complete skill set to the Steelers, and that’s what they prefer, but I’m not at all sure how this will work out.
If you don’t believe Harris is the top back in the draft, that alone is enough to ding the choice. I do like Williams as well as Travis Etienne who went one pick later to the Jacksonville Jaguars. Williams, by the way, is still available.
The criticism of the Steelers offensive line is valid but I’m not sure using the talent on the Alabama offensive line is a valid criticism of Harris as a prospect. But this remains to be seen depending on what the Steelers front office does with the rest of their draft picks.
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