There is no doubt the Pittsburgh Steelers addressed one of their biggest weaknesses after the 2021 NFL draft. Most of the draft analysts are not fans of how the Steelers decided to pick a running back in the first round, but there is no denying Najee Harris's talent on the football field. He is a very powerful and elite running back coming into Pittsburgh who is desperately needing help in regards to their running game. Pro Football Focus recently called Najee Harris the most well-rounded running back to come out of the 2021 NFL draft.
Pro Football Focus on Najee Harris: “The common rule of thumb for running backs is usually to declare as soon as possible, but there's a real chance Harris made himself some money with his play this year. He doubled his touchdown total from 13 on the ground in 2019 to 26 this season and maintained his efficiency despite a massive workload. Harris' ball skills keep him inside our top three backs despite not being much of a home run threat. His catch radius is one of the biggest you'll ever see from a running back — he should feature in any passing game.”
Pro Football Focus calls Najee Harris a walking-talking bell-cow of a running back. They feel Harris is going to ball out in Pittsburgh just because of the sheer volume he will receive on the football field. So expect Najee Harris to fill up the stat sheet in 2021. There are zero concerns with Najee Harris coming out of the backfield or lining up as a wide receiver because he has shown his worth at Alabama already. Especially after breaking Derek Henry's rushing record at Alabama.
Although Pro Football Focus does love Najee Harris they still are tempering their expectations for the Rookie going into 2021. They currently have him ranked as the 16th best running back at the moment behind Antonio Gibson and D'Andre Swift, but ahead of Miles Sanders and J.K. Dobbins in Fantasy Football. I would imagine if Harris can stay healthy he should crack the top-5 running backs in 2021 and possibly be up for Rookie of the Year with the Pittsburgh Steelers especially knowing how Mike Tomlin loves using his running backs. Only time will tell if Najee Harris is the next great running back in Pittsburgh and if he plays as he did at Alabama he will be.
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