It — officially — is well in the realm of possibility that Derrick Harmon will make his NFL debut this weekend.
The Pittsburgh Steelers’ first-round pick was deemed “questionable” to suit up for Sunday’s game at the New England Patriots, according to the league-mandated status report.
A defensive tackle listed atop the official depth chart at nose tackle, Harmon was listed as a full practice participant Friday. That represented the first time he had done so since suffering a knee injury during the preseason finale last month. Harmon had returned to practice — in a limited capacity — earlier this week.
“It would be awesome if we could get him this week,” Steelers defensive co-captain T.J. Watt said Friday from UPMC Rooney Sports Complex. “He’s a guy who is physical, plays fast, gets upfield, gets penetration in the run and the pass game. It would be huge if we got him this week.”
The No. 21 overall pick out of Oregon in April’s draft, the 6-foot-4, 313-pound Harmon turned heads during training camp. He had a sack in his first preseason home game and is projected as a stout run-stopper, a quality much in need for a team that ranks 28th in the NFL in rushing yards allowed per game through two weeks of the season.
“We’ve been waiting on him,” fellow Steelers defensive tackle Keeanu Benton said. “We need him to come do some things. We didn’t get him in the first round for no reason.”
