Investing in the trenches for the Pittsburgh Steelers has been a major focus for Omar Khan and Andy Weidl dating back to the 2023 offseason. All four of the organization's first-round picks in the NFL Drafts since have played on the line, with three of them being offensive tackles. In 2025, Derrick Harmon was the outlier and taken to provide serious depth and talent to a unit led by Cameron Heyward. The front seven will be a crucial group for the franchise in 2026, as there have been serious lapses in the team's efforts to stop the run dating back several years.
Jordan Schofield / SteelerNation (X: @JSKO_PHOTO)
Pittsburgh Steelers' defensive lineman Derrick Harmon stands on the field as the team goes through a workout during a 2026 training camp practice at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, PA.
Harmon is entering a crucial season as he looks to really make his mark at the professional level following an up-and-down rookie campaign. He showed serious signs of promise in 2025, but he also was only able to find the field for 12 regular-season games due to knee injuries. He is expected to be a staple of the defensive line for years to come, so staying on the active roster and dominating will be what is asked of him.
The Steelers have an incredibly deep positional group around and behind Harmon. It should be a strength of the roster moving forward, and the 2025 first-round selection will be a very important asset in the trenches. That doesn't mean, however, that everyone is extremely thrilled about what he has put on tape to this point in his career.
Jon Ledyard is a popular draft analyst and talent evaluator that focuses a lot on Pittsburgh. After watching Friday night's preseason contest against the New York Jets, he didn't hold back on what he saw from Harmon. Unfortunately, Ledyard was not at all impressed on the lineman's performance, even though he played less than 15 snaps.
"The Derrick Harmon reps from last night are not for the faint of heart. Rough," Ledyard wrote on X. "I am just not sure how much better he can get with his athletic deficiencies. Being a strong person only gets you so far in the NFL."
As one could expect, Steelers fans came after Ledyard in the comments because Harmon is viewed as a seriously talented playmaker. The analyst defended his thoughts in a response to someone.
"Don't think he's some terrible player. But I just don't think we'll ever see close to a Round 1 talent," Ledyard noted.
Panicking about the prospects of Harmon right now wouldn't be wise overall. There is a new coaching staff in town, and he has some serious abilities as a run-stuffer. However, it's intriguing to find that someone who studies a lot of film has some reservations about the Oregon product. Pittsburgh can't afford for him to take a step back in his second professional campaign.
Jordan Schofield / SteelerNation (X: @JSKO_PHOTO)
Pittsburgh Steelers' defensive lineman Derrick Harmon stands on the field as the team goes through a workout during a 2025 training camp practice at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, PA.
The Steelers would be at a disadvantage if Harmon ends up being inefficient once the meaningful football games begin. He is going to need to play at an elite level that is expected for a guy with first-round pedigree. The good news is that not everyone would probably agree with Ledyard's opinion in this stance. Analyst Christopher Carter mentioned in early August that Harmon looked fantastic in practice.
"Derrick Harmon continues to flash in the first padded practices," Carter wrote. "He blew up one run that Patrick Queen finished for a tackle for loss, then made another stop himself on an outside zone play. Harmon has consistently won the line of scrimmage."
Overall, the alarms shouldn't be sounding just yet when it comes to Harmon and his future in the Black and Gold. At the same time, the 2026 season is a massive one for the big man.
Steelers Have Complete Faith In Derrick Harmon
There haven't been many worries coming from the team or reporters close to it regarding Harmon. While he might not have looked perfect in the loss to the Jets, it was a small sample size and he didn't have all of the top contributors around him on the field. This will certainly be a take to look back on from Ledyard to see if he hit the nail on the head or was very wrong about Harmon never living up to the hype.
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