Steelers Najee Harris Will Fulfill His Promise As "The Real Deal" In 2023 According To Mike Florio

The Pittsburgh Steelers took Najee Harris in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft. The move was met with skepticism around the NFL after they used a first round pick on a running back. Harris has had an up-and-down start to his career but two seasons in, he has produced back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons and broke the Steelers rookie record for receptions in 2021.

Harris finished strong in 2022 and heading into 2023 it looks like he will be running behind the best offensive line in his short Steelers career. Mike Florio from Pro Football Talk joined 93.7 The Fan in Pittsburgh for his weekly appearance on the PM Team/w Poni & Mueller and Chris Mueller asked Florio about the perception that Harris was the big winner in the 2023 NFL Draft.

“By year three, that is when we see guys break out,” Florio began. “With running backs, the possibility of injury and it is not their fault it can happen at any time, but Najee Harris is a guy who came in with high hopes. Lived up to it rookie year, last year kind of hit some struggles, but I think he has the potential to be great.”

The offensive line in 2021 was a significant weakness in Ben Roethlisberger’s final season and Harris bullied his way to 1,000 yards during his rookie season but it was not easy. 2022 started slowly after a foot injury slowed him in camp and Jaylen Warren started to emerge as a viable option in the running game. Harris played significantly better down the stretch as the offense evolved in the second half of last season with Kenny Pickett becoming more comfortable as the starting quarterback in Pittsburgh.

"The better the passing game gets, the more dangerous the running game can be,” Florio continued. "You manipulate those safeties. If you push them away from the line of scrimmage more for Najee. If the holes are there, he can really make things happen. He was a first round pick for a reason. One of the few who get taken in round one. It doesn’t happen a lot anymore."

Pickett, Diontae Johnson, George Pickens and Pat Freiermuth are going to benefit from the additions on the offensive line and it will be their responsibility to ensure that teams do not stack the box against the Steelers early in the season. Harris and his running mate Warren proved during the four-game winning streak that ended in 2022 that they can thrive in a Matt Canada offense, but teams make adjustments in the offseason and bully ball only works if defenses are afraid of play action.

“I think Najee Harris the real deal,” Florio concluded. “You have to have support around him. There are circumstances where anyone other than Barry Sanders is not going to get it done.”

Steelers Front Office Built A Great Wall On The Left Side Of The 2023 Offense

Harris has endured some of those circumstances over his first two seasons, but with Pickett poised to take a big leap in year two, defenses will finally have to loosen up when they face him. The addition of Darnell Washington and Broderick Jones will tempt teams to stack the box on early downs, but the pair of Georgia Bulldogs who are devastating run blockers might render the point mute by clearing a path for Harris anyway.

 The third-year veteran from the Alabama Crimson Tide should enjoy his best season as a professional if all goes well behind Andy Weidl and Omar Khan’s newly built offensive line. Harris should have a chance to prove once and for all that he is the difference maker the Steelers drafted in 2021 and make Mike Tomlin's life much easier in 2023.

What do you think Steeler Nation? Do you think Harris will thrive behind the new-look offensive line and the Steelers return to the playoffs? Please comment below or on my Twitter @thebubbasq.

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