Steelers first-round draft pick Derrick Harmon might have missed time due to injuries during his rookie season, but his impact was immense.v
Harmon finished the season with 27 tackles, 11 of them solo stops, three sacks, one tackle for a loss and a fumble recovery.
Harmon won the Joe Greene Great Performance Award. The Joe Greene Great Performance Award was established in 1984 and named after the legendary Hall of Famer and presented each year to the Steelers' top rookie.
Harmon is the first defensive lineman to win the award, something that is ironic since it is named after one of the greatest defensive lineman to ever play the game.
Despite missing five games due to injuries, Harmon was still a dominant force for the defense.
"For me, it was kind of tough because I haven't been a type of guy that got injured a lot," said Harmon. "And I came to the NFL, and it happened twice in my rookie year, so it's kind of hard.
"But it's part of the game, so I've just got to stay optimistic and really just stay on course."
Keeping a positive approach was also a key.
Harmon missed the first two games of the season with one knee injury and said it was tough staying positive then.
When he had to deal with his second knee injury later in the season, missing three games, he said it was easier to deal with at that time.
"(The second) go around for me was just staying positive," said Harmon. "The first go around, I don't feel like I was really as positive. This one I tried to stay as positive.
"Just being in the building, showing up to meetings and still preparing like I'm still going to play the game. That's how I look at it."
Harmon was drafted in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft, the 21st overall pick, out of Oregon. Harmon spent one season with the Ducks, starting all 14 games in 2024 while earning second-team Associated Press All-America honors. He was also a second-team All-Big Ten selection by the media and third-team All-Big Ten by the coaches.
