The Pittsburgh Steelers selected running back, Najee Harris in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft, and what a home run pick it was! Harris smashed records and carried quite a heavy load last season. He amassed over 1,600 yards on 381 touches and got into the end zone a total of 10 times in his rookie campaign. He was dynamic on the ground and in the passing game as well!
After a stellar rookie year, Harris has received an incredible amount of support and honors all this off-season. The team's offense's rushing attack is in good hands with Harris carrying the load. He's just a guy that wants to improve year in and year out; a team couldn't ask for more out of a first round pick, no matter the position. Don't take my word for it, just ask Steelers' legendary running back and Pro Football Hall of Famer, Jerome Bettis.
Pittsburgh Steelers running back, Najee Harris (#22), during a regular season game between against the Denver Broncos, Sunday, Oct. 10, 2021 in Pittsburgh, PA at Heinz Field. The Steelers beat the Broncos 27-19. | Caitlyn Epes / Pittsburgh Steelers
“What I love is that his hunger to learn, to want to be better," Bettis stated while appearing on NFL Network . "A lot of times, you get a young guy, first round draft pick, you come in and you say, ‘Okay, I’m here now, and I’m the best thing since sliced bread.’ And that’s not the case with Najee. He reached out to me. He wanted to learn more. ‘Hey, talk to me about this. Explain to me this.’And that tells me that he wants to be a better football player, every year he steps on the football field. So that tells me that I think the running game is in great hands now. We’ve got to figure out who’s going to be throwing the football and can’t we get it down to these really good wire receivers that we have?”
High praise from a legend who donned the same black and gold as Harris does now. It hasn't been just praise from others, Harris has received several honors this off-season by various networks as well.
Pittsburgh Steelers running back, Najee Harris (22) participates in Organized Team Activities (OTA's) Tuesday May 24, 2022 at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex. (Karl Roser/Pittsburgh Steelers)
First, CBS Sports listed Harris and teammate OL James Daniels on their "All-Under 25 Offensive Team." And now, in a recent article published by NFL.com, Harris was listed once again, as the Steelers' lone representative on the league website's "All-Under-25 Team."
"Harris deserves a steak dinner and a new car as a reward for how much he carried the Steelers' offense last season," writer Nick Shook stated in his article. "As a rookie with plenty of wear on his tires from 638 career carries at Alabama, Harris looked fresh as a daisy in Pittsburgh, piling up nearly half of his entire collegiate total in one NFL season with 307 totes. He also nearly equaled his receptions total from college (80) in his rookie campaign, catching 74 passes.Yes, that's 381 touches in one season for a rookie. It's a lot -- in fact, it led the NFL -- but Harris handled it well, scoring 10 total touchdowns and gaining 1,667 scrimmage yards. Does volume inflate that total a bit? Yes, but it doesn't take a genius to see that Harris is a stud. Here's hoping the Steelers don't wear him out too quickly."
AP Photo / Keith Srakocic
Look for Harris to carry another heavy load like he's carrying defenders in the picture above! If the Steelers have a successful year on the offensive side of the ball, it will most likely be on the back of Harris once again!
What are yinz thoughts on Harris being honored once again by being listed on NFL.com's "All-Under-25" Team? Sound off in the comment section below, or on Facebook, Twitter, and/or Instagram!
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