Pittsburgh Steelers running back, Najee Harris led all rookie rushers in yardage last season and finished in the top 5 of the NFL in rushing yards with 1,200 yards and 7 touchdowns on the ground. He added 74 receptions and 3 additional touchdowns through the air. Despite Pro Football Focus writer Brad Spielberger calling him the "worst" first round draft pick and ranking him as the 30th best running back in the league, his teammate, offensive lineman Kevin Dotson, had high praise for the rookie.
“He could have been a 2,000-yard back if the offensive line had been better last year.”
Pittsburgh Steelers running back, Najee Harris (#22) tries to find some running room against the Cincinnati Bengals at Heinz Field in 2021. | Twitter: @JSKO_PHOTO
Harris seemed humbled by that assertion. He is assuming a leadership role with the team and justifies in nearly every interview and press conference why the Steelers hit a homerun when they drafted Harris. Harris was asked about the chemistry of the offense in front of his locker and Harris replied:
“I think we are building a good chemistry here, like I said it’s my second year and it’s the second year for a lot of us too. There’s a lot of young guys playing. So, for Dot to say that, you can always assume that, but it is the NFL, it is hard. Let’s just focus on this year and winning games before we worry about all that stuff.”
This is where his maturity really shines through. It would be easy for an athlete to let a question like this lead him into a minefield. Many young players fall for the trap and give an answer that comes off cocky and finds its way to the national sports media discourse. Harris, last year’s first round draft pick, has the look and sound of the next media darling for the Steelers. T.J. Watt and Cam Heyward are the unquestioned leaders of the team, and Minkah Fitzpatrick is in line for a huge payday, but I see Harris as the Steeler who ends up in commercials and being in demand to speak for the team. The good news is that he appears ready to handle the responsibility.
Harris was then asked about some of his new teammates that might help Dotson’s observation of an improved line, Mason Cole and James Daniels:
“They got more experience and been in the league more, I guess a lot longer than KG, Me, Pat [Freiermuth], Dan [Moore], so they bring more experience. There is a lot of things last year that we didn’t do because we didn’t have a lot of experience. But both guys are bringing in communication calling out mikes, whenever the defense shifts, they are remaking all the calls, protections. That’s a lot of new things that we didn’t do last year because of less experience.”
His candid answer here is very revealing. Ben Roethlisberger at times looked like an old man who couldn’t move to get away from the rush like he once did. I wonder how many times the protection adjustments or audibles he seemed to be endlessly checking to were about what plays he felt the young line and receivers knew best, even if it was contradictory to what Canada had called from the sidelines. Roethlisberger never complained to the press and had plenty of praise for the young team, but it does leave one to wonder if the struggles of Kendrick Green at center affected Roethlisberger’s performance more than we as fans were aware.
Harris seems to have learned from the retired quarterback’s example and stating the need for better effort as a group and crediting others for improvements in the Organized Team Activities. Harris has a natural charisma that is infectious and if he can inspire the defense with his positivity to perform at peak level, the gap between the offense and defense in Pittsburgh may not be as wide as it appears from the outside.
What do you think, Steeler Nation? Is the positivity from the new leader of the offense going to inspire surprising performance? Please comment below or on my Twitter @thebubbasq.
