The Pittsburgh Steelers received a lot of criticism last off-season when they selected running back Najee Harris with the 24th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. Most of the criticism wasn't because Harris was a bad player, but because the Steelers had many other holes they needed to fill first. One of those being the offensive line.
Najee Harris traveled to Mexico to announce the Steelers 4th round selection in the 2022 NFL Draft / Steelers.com
Some of those issues came to light as the Steelers' offensive line was one of the worst in the entire NFL. But Harris was still able to showcase his abilities as he helped get the Steelers into the playoffs while rushing for 1,200 yards.
During an interview on 93.7 The Fan Pittsburgh recently, Pro Football Focus' Brad Spielberger called Harris the "worst" first-round pick of 2021.
This week, the NY Post's Jenna Lemoncelli caught up with Harris and asked him about those comments.
“Well, everybody’s entitled to their opinion,” Harris told The Post, laughing. “I hate PFF too.”
Even though Harris was laughing, it surely still lights a fire under him. Especially considering the solid season that he had in 2021 while working with a sub-par offensive line.
"I mean, there were some people who didn’t like the pick and there are some people who did," Harris said. "What matters is, I got picked. So, what am I going to do next? Do I come in there and show that I was a bust, or are you going to come in there and take over and show them why a [running back] was picked in the first round. And some people might not think I even did that, too, which is cool. I guess everybody’s entitled to their opinion."
Did the Steelers have other needs besides running back? Yes, a lot of them. Those needs were caused by the Steelers opening free agency with zero money to spend. They had to shop at the bargain store for most of their additions. It wasn't until late in the off-season when the good free agents were gone did the Steelers have any room.
“But personally, I’m going to do everything I can to help the team out, so my teammates and coaches and GM to know that it wasn’t a bad pick. And I appreciate [the Steelers] for even taking a running back in the first round. But I saw that. I mean, it’s cool. I just laugh at it. I put that with all the other stuff that they say bad about me and you’re not going to get rid of that stuff. So it’s cool. I like it, actually.”
With one year under his belt, Harris is going to be forced into a leadership role whether he's ready or not. That was something Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger tried to pass onto Harris. Roethlisberger brought Harris to his house as soon as he was drafted to start getting to know him. He let it be known at the time to Harris that 2021 was probably his last season, and he was going to need Harris to help him lead the Steelers if his last one was going to be successful.
Now Harris knows what he needs to do with Roethlisberger gone, and a very young offensive unit.
"Me personally, I think, maybe just to be more of a vocal leader, you know,” Harris said. “Later in the year, I was speaking up a lot more. But, this year I will want to set that tone earlier now that Ben’s gone. You know, it would be nice to be a leader on the offensive side. Boss, I’m just trying to be that person.”
