By: Brady Akins

There’s nothing more exciting than a fantasy football rookie. And among all the rookies from the 2021 Draft class, there might be no rookie more exciting than the Pittsburgh Steelers’ first-round pick, Najee Harris.

Harris, the running back out of Alabama, has the tall task of turning around the Pittsburgh Steelers dreadful rushing offense from 2020– something he could definitely do if all goes right.

The question then becomes less of can he turn it around, and more of will he turn things around.

Well, maybe. Let’s see.

Optimistic: 

You would be hard-pressed to find a rookie running back with more talent than Najee Harris. For that matter, you might struggle to find many running backs at all with more pure talent than the former Alabama standout.

The Steelers’ first-round pick excelled in college as a powerful, athletic, dual-threat player at running back– with a penchant for explosive running and a nose for the endzone. Anchoring that to specific stats, Harris finished his final two seasons in college with a combined 2,690 rushing yards on 5.8 yards per carry, 39 rushing touchdowns, 70 catches, 729 yards and 11 receiving touchdowns.

Just about everything you would want from a potential fantasy RB1. 

And, without question, Harris’ ceiling, even as a rookie, should be set at high-end RB1. Not only because of his skill and college resume, but because of the opportunity he should get.

The Steelers have made a habit over the years of maximizing the potential of their skill position players– with the running back position standing out as evidence. LeVeon Bell, the former Pittsburgh star running back, wrapped up his Steelers’ tenure with two All-Pro seasons and three Pro Bowl appearances. In the two seasons he’s played since then, he’s combined for 1,117 rushing yards on 327 carries– just 3.4 yards per attempt. 

Pittsburgh elevated Bell to All-Pro heights, and with the word around training camp being the Steelers want to make Harris a dedicated three-down, every situation running back, they can do the same for their rookie.

Pessimistic:

Harris can play the role of three-down back all he wants, it won’t matter if he doesn’t get the touches.

For as talented as Harris is, he now finds himself on a Pittsburgh offense that featured an abominable rushing attack last season. In 2020, the Steelers finished bottom five in the NFL in total rushing attempts, last in rushing yards by over 100, and last in yards per attempt at a lowly 3.6.

While it’s true that the Steelers lacked a true running back talent like Harris, they also weren’t putting their backs in positions to succeed either, trotting out an offensive line that finished 24th in ESPN’s run block win rate metric– and lost just about every starter from an already below-average position group. 

That’s a far cry from Harris’ luxurious lifestyle in Alabama, with an offensive line so good it saw three of its five starters get selected in the 2021 NFL Draft. 

For as good as his numbers were in 2020, Harris hasn’t had to deal with adversity as much as he will in Pittsburgh. Things could turn sour in an unexpected flash for Harris.

Realistic: 

Harris’ offensive situation is”¦ less than ideal. Playing for an offensive line that will likely feature five new starters, and for an offense that ran the ball worse than any other team in 2020, in big part by a ”˜quick pass early and often’ design.

Expecting Harris to put up numbers similar to what he produced at Alabama would be criminally insane. Even if he is a three-down back as advertised, that doesn’t mean he’ll be getting the same volume as other such backs like Christian McCaffrey, who’s averaged 25 touches per game in each of his last two seasons. 

And that’s the gold standard for running backs. McCaffrey is the pinnacle of volume monsters, and he plays on an offense where just about everything runs through him. If the Steelers don’t make dramatic changes to their offensive philosophy, Harris won’t come anything close to that.

With all that said”¦ 

Harris is too good to not overcome the issues plaguing the Steelers. Even with poor run blocking, Harris’ potential as a receiver will keep him a factor in the offense. While his skill as a runner might be good enough at times to overcome an onslaught of defenders blasting through an inexperienced offensive line.

Maybe don’t expect Harris to be the second coming of Marshall Faulk from day one– but he can still be a quality contributor to the Steelers offense, and your fantasy offense as well.

The post What are the realistic expectations for Najee Harris? appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By: Dave Stewart

As it always does, the NFL Draft left us with many surprises. The 49ers answered the first question of the draft, selecting Trey Lance third overall. Cincinnati selected Ja’marr Chase, catching some by surprise. Names like Kadarius Toney and Travis Etienne were not considered locks to be called on the first night, and players like Teven Jenkins and Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah were expected to be chosen in the opening round, but were not.

One player who was linked by many to his eventual landing spot was Alabama running back, Najee Harris. He now finds himself atop the depth chart at running back for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

There are conflicting assessments of the pick among football pundits. Improving the league’s worst rushing attack was a key component of Pittsburgh’s draft plan. A staple of the Steelers offense over the last half-century has been their efficiency running the football.

While times have changed, both in Pittsburgh and the NFL, leading to a more pass-heavy approach, the Steelers remain a team who very much wishes to be able to run the ball effectively. Doing so will take pressure off their aging quarterback and keep their talented defense off the field for longer periods of time.

The AFC North is a division where running the ball and playing stout defense is still a recipe for success. Teams like the Baltimore Ravens and the Cleveland Browns have been able to demoralize opponents with their brutal ground and pound approach.

The 2020 Pittsburgh Steelers brought up the rear in both rushing yardage and yards per attempt in the NFL. The team’s leading rusher, James Conner, tallied less than 500 yards on the ground, yet actually led the team with 4.0 yards per carry. As a team, Pittsburgh averaged just 3.6 per rush.

The absence of a premier talent in the backfield, along with below-average offensive line play contributed to the struggles in the run game. Enter Najee Harris. There is no doubt that he elevates the level of talent among Steeler ball carriers.

Contributing to an impressive National Championship season at Alabama, Harris totaled nearly 1,900 scrimmage yards in 2020. He combines size, strength, and speed in a way that has brought up comparisons to previously successful backs in Pittsburgh, like Franco Harris and Le’Veon Bell.

Whether or not Najee Harris becomes the missing piece in the puzzle is a question yet to be answered. Though it is true that the players in the Steelers’ running back room are modestly talented and underperformed last season, the difficulties faced by Pittsburgh’s once intimidating offensive line were highlighted in the team’s inefficiency.

So, were the woes in the rushing game caused by less talented running backs or underperforming offensive linemen? The truth is likely both led to the dismal performance. In addition to ranking 31st in the league, as a run backing unit, Pittsburgh lost three of the big men upfront during this offseason. Alejandro Villanueva and Matt Feiler departed via free agency, while long-time center, Maurkice Pouncey, retired following the season.

Choosing Harris over an offensive lineman, like Jenkins, in the first was really more of a strategical decision. Yet, passing agin on the line in the second round mystified many. Oklahoma’s Creed Humphrey was available and would have made for a nice replacement for Pouncey. Instead, the Steelers punted the offensive line into the third round, where they selected Kendrick Green, a converted guard, to take over at center. They grabbed a tackle in the fourth, in Dan Moore Jr. Last year’s week one starter at right tackle, Zach Banner, returns from an ACL tear and is expected to replace Villanueva at left tackle.

They will be bringing an inexperienced group of blockers to the table, as Banner rates as the second most tenured player on the line with 23 career games played. Harris has a path to the Offensive Rookie of the Year, but it is a narrow one. All the pieces have to fall just right. The youthful line will need to find a way to come together and improve greatly over last year’s 31st place finish in run blocking.

In addition, the young guys up front need to uphold the pass blocking, which was the strength of 2020’s group. Keeping Roethlisberger protected is critical to prevent teams from stacking the box to stop Harris. Then, most importantly, it comes down to Harris, himself. He will need to show that he can handle the heavy lifting in the NFL, in the same manner, he did in college. He will, most certainly, need to be deeply involved in the passing game, perhaps matching or exceeding the 43 receptions he had during his senior season at Alabama.

In the last 6 seasons, only three running backs have taken home the hardware. Of the three, only Todd Gurley did it with fewer than 1,500 scrimmage yards, 15 touchdowns, and 80 receptions. While both 80 receptions and 15 touchdowns seem like a tall order, should he reach 1,500 total yards, Harris is likely to be in the conversation.

The post How Najee Harris Wins rookie of the year appeared first on Pro Football Mania.