Pittsburgh Steelers: What type of year-one impact will RB Najee Harris have?

The Pittsburgh Steelers are hoping to turn things around on the ground this year. Here’s what running back Najee Harris could offer. 

Things got off to a pretty hot start for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2020. Through the first five games of the season, Mike Tomlin’s team averaged over 136 rushing yards per game and were scoring 31 points per contest. However, the offense gradually started to collapse as the season went on. As a result, they earned just 100 yards in 1 of their last 10 games of the year.

The offensive line was a contributing factor in this. An aging Maurkice Pouncey and ailing David DeCastro struggled to get much push in the run, and there were little holes to be found on any given player. However, the running backs deserved their fair share of the blame.

Despite James Conner’s Pro Bowl appearance in 2018, the former Pitt running back did very little to show that he was a special runner. The combination of Conner and Benny Snell may have been the worst running back tandem in the NFL last season.

Immediately following a season in which the Steelers finished dead last in the league in rushing, both Mike Tomlin and president Art Rooney II were adamant about improving the run game in 2021. Because of this, it was no surprise to see Pittsburgh take running back Najee Harris with the 24th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.

Harris could have a big impact on the Steelers from the gate

If there has been one position we have seen over the years be able to step in and contribute at a high level right away, it’s running back. Though I wasn’t a fan of the selection due to the decreased value of the position, there’s no doubt that Najee Harris is going to be a substantial improvement over James Conner.

Though he lacks elite speed, Harris has a terrific blend of traits that could make him one of the best running backs in the league early in his NFL career. He’s an intelligent football player with amazing size and the ability to break tackles. Harris is remarkably nimble for his 230-pound frame and can fake out a defender in the whole or choose to run through them.

However, Harris’s best trait might be his ability as a receiver. With an excellent catch radius and wingspan, Harris effortlessly plucks the ball out of the air and already runs routes like a veteran. This is an area he made major strides in at Alabama.

As special as Harris could prove to be, he won’t be doing it all by himself. New offensive coordinator Matt Canada should give Pittsburgh’s offense a much-needed spark in 2021. His ability to dial-up creative looks for Harris will help this team finish much better than the dismal 3.6 yards per rush attempt they witnessed last season.

In addition, a younger, fresher offensive line than the Steelers have had in years could help attribute to Harris’s success on the ground. Players like Kevin Dotson and Kendrick Green are terrific in space and live for driving defenders into the turf.

Assuming Najee Harris stays healthy, his impact on the Steelers will be felt right away. Rookies aren’t guaranteed to make a big difference from the gate, but Harris is going to touch the ball often, and he should be a big upgrade over what Pittsburgh had a season ago.