The Pittsburgh Steelers have signed defensive lineman Derrick Harmon to his rookie contract, per Tom Pelissero. The deal is for four years and includes a fifth-year team option.
As the 21st overall pick, Harmon’s contract is valued at $17,973,596 over four years, including a $9,711,740 signing bonus, according to OverTheCap.com. The entire contract is fully guaranteed.
Harmon becomes the Steelers’ first first-round interior defensive line pick since Cam Heyward.
He dealt with a shoulder injury leading up to the NFL Draft, which led some teams to hesitate. As a result, Ole Miss’ Walter Nolen and Michigan’s Kenneth Grant were selected before Harmon, who played at Oregon after beginning his college career at Michigan State.
Harmon is dealing with a partially torn rotator cuff and a torn labrum, which might require surgery. Despite this, the injury isn’t expected to impact his availability for the upcoming season.
Throughout his college career at Michigan State and Oregon, Harmon never missed a game over three seasons, making this a somewhat unexpected medical issue.
At the NFL Combine in Indianapolis, Harmon measured 6-foot-4 and weighed 313 pounds. He posted an impressive 4.95-second 40-yard dash with a 1.74-second 10-yard split—strong numbers for a player of his size.
One NFL scout told Lance Zierlein of NFL.com that Harmon reminds him of a young Cam Heyward, only bigger. “He plays like a Raven or a Steeler,” the scout said. “On film, he looks like a young Cam Heyward but with more size.”
This season, Harmon recorded five sacks and 11 tackles for loss. Over the course of his college career, he totaled 8.5 sacks and 18 tackles for loss.
With the Steelers, Harmon is expected to line up as a five-technique across from Cam Heyward, while Keeanu Benton remains at nose tackle. He’s projected to be groomed as Heyward’s long-term replacement but will likely contribute immediately in pass-rushing sub-packages.
