A Detroit native who led all FBS defensive tackles in pressures at Oregon and became the Steelers' first first-round defensive lineman since Cameron Heyward.
Derrick Harmon arrived in Pittsburgh with the pedigree of a disruptive interior force, taken 21st overall in the 2025 draft after a dominant final season with the Oregon Ducks. Steelers coaches drew comparisons to a young Heyward, and Harmon spent his rookie year proving those comparisons were not empty hype.
Path to the league
Harmon grew up in Detroit and starred at Loyola High School before starting his college career at Michigan State. He transferred to Oregon in May 2024 for his final season, and the Steelers selected him with the 21st overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Career highlights
In his lone season at Oregon, Harmon started all 14 games and led all FBS defensive linemen with 55 pressures in 2024, recording 45 tackles, five sacks and two forced fumbles. He earned second-team All-Big Ten and Associated Press All-American honors, and he was Pittsburgh's first defensive lineman drafted in the first round since Heyward in 2011.
2025 season recap
Harmon made his NFL debut against New England in Week 3 and recorded his first career sack on Drake Maye. He finished his rookie season with 27 tackles, three sacks, one pass deflection and a fumble recovery across 12 games with eight starts, and he was honored with the Steelers' Joe Greene Great Performance Award as the team's top rookie.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Derrick Harmon (defensive tackle)
- ESPN: Steelers pass on QBs, take Harmon with 21st pick in NFL draft
Statistics
2025 season and career2025 Season · Defense
12 games played▶Defense · career
| Year | Team | GP | TOT | SOLO | SACK | INT | FF | FR | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | steelers | 12 | 27 | 11 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Player Profile
Background
- Position
- Defensive Tackle
- Group
- defense
- College
- Oregon
- Hometown
- Detroit, MI, USA
- Age
- 23
- Status
- active
