Mel Kiper Jr. didn’t like what the Pittsburgh Steelers did in Round 1. Their move helped the slide of Shedeur Sanders. And Mike Tomlin gave an honest outlook for the team’s first-round pick of the 2025 NFL Draft after passing on Sanders, according to a post on X by Nick Farabaugh.

Mike Tomlin says Derrick Harmon will learn from Cam Heyward as his mentee and be a ‘starter for him' for years to come.
Tomlin says Harmon has been ‘impressive at every level of the process' for the Steelers.
“We got more and more comfortable.”

OK. Sounds good. But will the Steelers dive into the 2025 season with Mason Rudolph and Skylar Thompson leading their quarterback room? Surely not. But they passed on Sanders, who slipped out of the first round.

Steelers go with DT Derrick Harmon in Round 1

Atlanta Falcons head coach Raheem Morris, Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin and Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel watch UGA Footballs Pro Day in Athens, Ga., on Wednesday, March 12, 2025. Representatives from all 32 NFL teams are on hand to watch former UGA football players in action.

The Oregon product brings a 6-foot-4 1/2, 313-pound frame to the Steelers’ defense. He’s versatile and strong, according to nfl.com.

“Position-versatile building block that makes moving the football a much tougher task,” Lance Zierlein wrote. “Harmon is wide, long, and naturally powerful at the point of attack. He can create traffic jams inside as a two-gapper or stunt and power his way into the backfield. He will bring an instant dose of stinginess and toughness to any defense he joins.”

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The Steelers liked their choice, especially Tomlin, according to steelers.com.

“He has Steelers DNA,” said Tomlin. “For us, it starts inside and up front. This is a guy that is capable of dominating that space versus the run and the pass. We are excited about having him. Really excited about getting him in here and getting started.”

“There is no substitute for young talent. You don't have a chance to build a quality defense unless you are stout inside and up front. This is a guy that has an opportunity to learn from the likes of Cam Heyward and put his hand in the pile and be a significant contributor for us for years to come.”

Harmon checked all of the boxes, Tomlin said.

“I think he has been impressive in every step of the process for us,” said Tomlin. “His tape was impressive. We had great visits with him in Indy. He came to Pittsburgh, and we had a great day with him. With each interaction, we got more and more comfortable that he was our type of guy.”