NFL front offices expected Oregon defensive tackle Derrick Harmon to go in the first round of next week’s draft, according to Jason La Canfora of The Washington Post.
Michigan’s Mason Graham is widely considered the draft’s top DT, but there’s no clear No. 2 behind him. That could be Harmon, who has earned praise for his schematic versatility as a run defender and a pass rusher.
“He fits whatever defense you want to run if you know what you’re doing,” said one evaluator (via La Canfora), who listed the Steelers and the Ravens as fits for Harmon’s physical, disruptive play style. Harmon is on Pittsburgh’s list of first-round targets, and he’s frequently been mocked to Baltimore in the last two months. Both AFC North squads are returning two of their starting defensive linemen, but each lost a key veteran this offseason.
The Steelers will have Cameron Heyward for a 15th consecutive year alongside 2023 second-rounder Keeanu Benton, who has played better than his limited production would suggest. Pittsburgh moved on from Larry Ogunjobi in March and didn’t add replacement-level talent in free agency. Harmon would be an instant member of the Steelers’ starting DL rotation and could potentially take over for the soon-to-be 36-year-old Heyward in the long term.
The Ravens have Nnamdi Madubuike locked down through 2027, but 2022 third-rounder Travis Jones is entering a contract year and Broderick Washington could be a cap casualty after the 2025 season. Veteran nose tackle Michael Pierce retired in March as well, making defensive line a short- and long-term need for the Ravens in the draft.
Harmon making it to Pittsburgh at no. 21 or Baltimore at no. 27 feels unlikely at this point with a number of other teams, including the division-rival Bengals, looking to add a premier defensive linemen earlier in the first round.