After a limited rookie year and a quiet Week 1, the Steelers’ 2025 first-round pick led the team in tackles and flashed more pass-rush tools while remaining a reliable run defender in Foxboro.
Harmon led Pittsburgh with eight tackles, added four pressures (per PFF), and recorded a sack in the loss at New England.
He showed expanded pass-rush repertoire — mixing power, long-arm, club-swim and dip-and-rip moves — instead of relying on a single technique.
Run defense was a strength: Harmon consistently held his ground, located the ball, shed blocks and made tackles in the hole.
Derrick Harmon entered the 2026 season with expectation and patience. Selected in the first round of the 2025 draft, he battled injuries as a rookie and had a quiet Week 1 of Year 2. In New England he produced what the writer calls arguably his best pro game: eight tackles to lead the Steelers, four pressures per Pro Football Focus, and one sack.
Against the Patriots, Harmon layered more techniques into his rushes. He still uses the long arm frequently, but the tape showed several change-ups: a fake long-arm followed by a dip-and-rip, and a sequence that paired a power burst with an outside club and a swim to get into the pocket. One rep highlighted in the coverage combined initial power to push the guard backward, then a club-swim to beat the block and get his hands on the quarterback.
The sack itself was more about discipline than a flashy move. Harmon kept his eyes in the backfield, stayed within his run lane responsibilities so the pocket didn't open, and finished by bringing down the quarterback. The play illustrated two things at once: he can finish when positioned well, but his overall pass-rush plan still has room to tighten up and become more consistent.
Harmon's run defense in Foxboro matched his pass-rush success. He displayed classic interior-line fundamentals: getting his hands inside, locking out against blockers, keeping his eyes toward the ball, and then re-engaging to shed and make tackles in the hole.
The film shows real improvement but not perfection. Harmon still leans on a few go-to techniques and has moments without a clear pass-rush plan. He needs to translate his power and athletic tools into a consistently multi-move approach and clean hand placement more often.
Harmon expecting a long-term interior difference-maker who could step into leadership in the trenches as veterans move on. He hasn't reached that ceiling yet, but the Foxboro tape points toward upward trajectory: stronger pass-rush variety, dependable run defense, and the ability to finish plays when disciplined.
Derrick Harmon didn’t overwhelm on the stat sheet last week, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t play a strong game. He finished with three tackles, all of them run stops against Bijan Robinson and Brian Robinson Jr. While he had a defensive holding penalty, let’s just say Pittsburgh wasn’t a big fan of last week’s […]
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