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The Steelers selected University of Oregon defensive lineman Derrick Harmon with the 21st pick in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft.

For Harmon, it was a thrill to get the call from the Steelers, something he referred to as a 'blessing.' But there was another side to it. Harmon's mother, Tiffany Saine, is hospitalized and on life support, and wasn't able to be there with him for that life-changing moment.

"It was a little bittersweet, my mom wasn't with me," said Harmon. "She's at the hospital right now on life support, so that was a little bittersweet because she worked as hard, just as me, to get to this moment. But it was a once in lifetime experience. So, I'm very excited."

Harmon was planning on visiting his mom in the hospital after he wrapped up all his draft night duties to share the good news with her.

"After I get off the phone with you guys, I'm headed straight to the hospital and tell her that her son got drafted," said Harmon.

Harmon was surrounded by others who love him, there for him during a huge moment.

"My village is big," said Harmon. "I couldn't get to this point without my village at all. So, I have a big village.

"But the thing going on my mom, her village came out and my village came out. So, we had a big party, and I'm very blessed to have a village around me."

That village now includes a Steelers family who love what he can bring to the field.

"He has Steelers DNA," said Coach Mike Tomlin. "For us it starts inside and up front. This is a guy that is capable of dominating that space versus the run and the pass. We are excited about having him. Really excited about getting him in here and getting started.

"There is no substitute for young talent. You don't have a chance to build a quality defense unless you are stout inside and up front. This is a guy that has an opportunity to learn from the likes of Cam Heyward and put his hand in the pile and be a significant contributor for us for years to come."

Harmon made a pre-draft visit to the Steelers, as well as meeting with the team at the NFL Combine, and made a big impression.

"I think he has been impressive in every step of the process for us," said Tomlin. "His tape was impressive. We had great visits with him in Indy. He came to Pittsburgh, and we had a great day with him. With each interaction we got more and more comfortable that he was our type of guy."

Harmon spent one season with the Ducks, starting all 14 games in 2024 while earning second-team Associated Press All-America honors. He was also a second-team All-Big Ten selection by the media and third-team All-Big Ten by the coaches.

In addition, he was named second-team All-American by The Sporting News and Football Writers Association of America. He was also the Reese's Senior Bowl Co-Defensive Player of the Week for Week 7 of the college season.

Harmon finished the 2024 season with a career-high 45 tackles, 27 of them solo stops. He had 10 tackles for a loss, five sacks, three passes defensed, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.

"He's a smart guy. He's a football guy," said Tomlin. "He has natural leadership skills. The people at Oregon were really blown away by his ability to fit in, and not only fit in but lead in a short period of time. He had a similar reputation at Michigan State. The tangible things are obvious, but we were equally impressed with his intangible qualities. His intellect, his relationship with the game, his natural leadership qualities."

Harmon began his college career at Michigan State where he played in 28 games, starting 15 of them. He finished with 71 tackles, six and a half tackles for a loss, three and a half sacks, two passes defensed, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.

During the 2023 season he played in 12 games, starting 10. He recorded 40 tackles, most among a Spartan defensive lineman for the season. He also had three and a half tackles for a loss and two and a half sacks.

As A Redshirt Junior (2024)

» The Sporting News All-America second team
» FWAA All-America second team
» Associated Press All-America second team
» All-Big Ten second team (media)
» All-Big Ten third team (coaches)
» Reese's Senior Bowl Co-Defensive Player of the Week (Week 7)

As A Redshirt Freshman At Michigan State (2022)

» CollegeFootballNews.com Freshman All-American Honorable Mention