Steelers select Oregon DL Derrick Harmon in 1st round of 2025 NFL draft

Gerry Dulac, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Apr 24, 2025

Published in Football

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The Steelers took a big step toward rebuilding their defensive line when they selected Oregon’s Derrick Harmon with their top pick in the NFL draft.

Harmon (6-foot-4 1/2, 313 pounds), the 21st overall pick, is the first defensive lineman since Cam Heyward in 2011 to be selected by the Steelers in the first round.

The Steelers had three defensive tackles targeted for the first round — Harmon, Michigan’s Kenneth Grant and Walter Nolen of Ole Miss.

But the Miami Dolphins took Grant higher than anyone expected at 13th overall. And Nolen went three picks later to the Arizona Cardinals.

That left Harmon, who played one season at Oregon after transferring from Michigan State, for the Steelers. He was one of eight defensive linemen among the 30 predraft visitors to the South Side.

The need to take a defensive lineman with the top pick increased when the Steelers released veteran Larry Ogunjobi and failed to sign any significant replacement in free agency.