Right now, I wished to have a look at the opposite facet of the coin to Derrick Harmon’s greatest school stats. It’s hardly ever one hundred pc sunshine and rainbows for any rookie coming into the NFL, and the objective of this text is to see what Harmon might be seeking to clear up within the subsequent chapter of his soccer journey.
One component that stands out negatively from his 2024 marketing campaign with Oregon was missed tackles. Here’s a visible of whole missed deal with charges and run protection missed deal with charge, together with all drafted defensive linemen to realize context:
As you in all probability anticipated from the opening, Harmon lands nicely under common amongst his drafted friends. In totality, Harmon had a 27.0 whole missed deal with charge within the 2024 common season, second-worst within the DL class (31 qualifiers). Whereas a 20.7 run protection missed deal with charge seems a bit higher, that landed at third-most.
That is little question one of many greatest parts that Harmon will hopefully clear up sooner moderately than later, which might stability the excessive stage of traits and potential he’s displayed as each a cross rusher and run defender.
As compared, the Steelers’ fifth spherical choose, Yahya Black, lands on the specified prime proper of the visible with a third-best 7.5 whole missed deal with charge, together with simply 5.7 towards the run (tenth). That’s encouraging, and seeing the vast majority of the outcomes re-emphasizes the priority and hope that Harmon might be higher.
Optimistically, he’ll put up numbers extra much like his ultimate 2023 season in Michigan State, with a 12.2 whole missed deal with charge and 10.3 run missed deal with charge. These marks would have ranked 14th and 18th amongst 2025 draft picks, so not awe inspiring, however significantly better.
However beforehand in 2022, his first season with substantial snaps, missed tackles had been additionally a problem with an 18.5 whole missed deal with charge. An identical quantity in run protection missed deal with charge highlights it was a selected difficulty towards the run that 12 months, not precisely what you wish to hear within the Metal Metropolis with the wheels coming off on this regard on the finish of 2024.
Stats are only one piece of the puzzle, however the image they paint factors to this maybe being a problem followers may have to prep for in an entire totally different animal that’s the NFL.
One different difficulty I wish to contact on had been penalties:
Harmon clearly was one of the penalized defensive linemen of the group, with 5 within the 2024 common and postseason. One was very expensive within the playoffs, and it’s an space he even just lately admitted he should work on.
Sadly, it’s been a rising difficulty for Harmon: two penalties in 2022, 4 in 2023 and 5 in 2024. It’s on his radar, as he just lately mentioned it’s unacceptable. If he can clear this up, alongside along with his tackling, it might grow to be fairly the rookie 12 months for Harmon. If not, it could possibly be extra of the identical emotions for the Steelers because the end-of-year crumble that was 2024.
