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Steelers select Derrick Harmon, defensive tackle from Oregon, in 2025 NFL Draft
Ashley Liotus
Sports Reporter
Derrick Harmon is headed to Pittsburgh.The Steelers passed on a quarterback and selected the big defensive tackle from the University of Oregon with the 21st overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft on Thursday night.The 6-foot-4, 313-pound Harmon was considered one of the better defensive prospects in the draft. He spent the first three years of his college career at Michigan State before transferring in 2024 to Oregon, where he had his most productive season yet with 45 tackles, five sacks and two forced fumbles.On a media call, Harmon said his mother is in the hospital and was not with him to share the moment when the Steelers' pick was announced."She's at the hospital right now on life support, so that was a little bittersweet because she worked as hard just as me to get to this moment," Harmon said. "It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I'm very excited."Becoming emotional, Harmon said, "After I get off the phone with you guys, I'm going to head straight to the hospital and tell her that her son got drafted."There was speculation that the Steelers would draft a quarterback in Round 1, with prospects such as Shedeur Sanders and Jaxson Dart still available when the time came for Pittsburgh to make its pick.But head coach Mike Tomlin said Harmon "has Steeler DNA," and general manager Omar Khan said the team decided they could not pass up on the chance to take Harmon."His tape was impressive. We had great visits with him in Indy (at the NFL Combine). He came to Pittsburgh; man, we had a great day with him. Just with each interaction, we all got more and more comfortable that he was our type of a guy," Tomlin said."We were working the phones several picks before ours, and you listen. You have to," Khan said. "We owe it to ourselves to listen. You don't know how it's going to shake out when you're five or six picks ahead."Obviously you listen and you weigh things. But at the end of the day, he was one of those players that we were not going to trade away from."
PITTSBURGH —
Derrick Harmon is headed to Pittsburgh.
The Steelers passed on a quarterback and selected the big defensive tackle from the University of Oregon with the 21st overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft on Thursday night.
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The 6-foot-4, 313-pound Harmon was considered one of the better defensive prospects in the draft. He spent the first three years of his college career at Michigan State before transferring in 2024 to Oregon, where he had his most productive season yet with 45 tackles, five sacks and two forced fumbles.
On a media call, Harmon said his mother is in the hospital and was not with him to share the moment when the Steelers' pick was announced.
"She's at the hospital right now on life support, so that was a little bittersweet because she worked as hard just as me to get to this moment," Harmon said. "It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I'm very excited."
Becoming emotional, Harmon said, "After I get off the phone with you guys, I'm going to head straight to the hospital and tell her that her son got drafted."
There was speculation that the Steelers would draft a quarterback in Round 1, with prospects such as Shedeur Sanders and Jaxson Dart still available when the time came for Pittsburgh to make its pick.
But head coach Mike Tomlin said Harmon "has Steeler DNA," and general manager Omar Khan said the team decided they could not pass up on the chance to take Harmon.
"His tape was impressive. We had great visits with him in Indy (at the NFL Combine). He came to Pittsburgh; man, we had a great day with him. Just with each interaction, we all got more and more comfortable that he was our type of a guy," Tomlin said.
"We were working the phones several picks before ours, and you listen. You have to," Khan said. "We owe it to ourselves to listen. You don't know how it's going to shake out when you're five or six picks ahead.
"Obviously you listen and you weigh things. But at the end of the day, he was one of those players that we were not going to trade away from."
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