For the past four seasons, Najee Harris’ durability and consistency were valued commodities for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Harris never missed a game and, while he rarely popped a breakaway run, he topped 1,000 yards in each season.

Yet, if there ever was a time for the Steelers to lose their starting running back to free agency, this is it. Finding a replacement, even if Jaylen Warren takes on a larger share of the carries, shouldn’t be an issue in this year’s NFL Draft.

“Uniquely deep draft at that position,” coach Mike Tomlin said at the NFL annual meeting. “I’ve gotten an opportunity to kind of meet a lot of them and see some of them, whether it’s working at (the NFL Combine) or at their pro day, there’s a lot of talent in that group.

“It’s just really exciting there.”

How deep is this year’s class? NFL.com lists running back as the second strongest position in the draft, trailing only edge rusher/defensive end. ESPN analyst Jordan Reid said it is the best class since 2017 when 27 running backs were drafted, led by Leonard Fournette and Christian McCaffrey in the first round and Dalvin Cook and Joe Mixon in the second. Alvin Kamara was part of that group as was James Conner and Kareem Hunt.

“It’s not as star studded as that time, but I have 32 players with draftable grades,” Reid said. “That shows how deep it is. I think in four or five years, it could be mentioned in the same breath (as 2017).

Reid’s ESPN colleague, Field Yates, has 29 running backs receiving grades that should lead to a draft selection.

“For 29 out of 250 grades, more than 10% of my grades come from one position,” Yates said. “I think that speaks volumes to how unique this class is.”

The premier player is Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty, the Heisman Trophy runner-up. A junior, Jeanty left school after leading the NCAA with 2,601 rushing yards, coming up 28 shy of Barry Sanders’ single-season record. The previous season, Jeanty led all FBS runners by averaging 159.7 scrimmage yards per game.

A year after no running backs were taken in the first round, Jeanty has been projected by many draft analysts to be taken No. 6 by Las Vegas. It would be the highest a running back has been selected since Saquon Barkley went to the New York Giants at No. 2 overall in 2018.

“He’s spunky, tough and an electrifying runner,” ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. said. “You can’t get him to the ground, and he’s tough to locate behind those big linemen. Once he hits you, he’s got that burst. He’s granite, he’s not going down.

“I don’t push for running backs in the first round, but he’s my fourth-highest rated player.”

When Barkley helped the Philadelphia Eagles to a Super Bowl title last season, it showed that running backs still could be a valuable component of an offense. The position becoming fashionable again could benefit North Carolina’s Omarion Hampton, who also carries a first-round grade. A junior like Jeanty, Hampton had at least 1,500 yards rushing in each of his two seasons as a starter.

Kiper noted how, in 2024, Hampton didn’t have the benefit of playing in the same backfield as Drake Maye, the quarterback who was selected No. 3 overall in the draft. But Hampton still finished third in the nation with 1,660 rushing yards, averaging nearly 6 yards per carry. He also caught 38 passes for 373 yards and two scores.

“Teams knew they could key on Hampton,” Kiper said, “but he went above and beyond what he did the previous year.”

Yates thinks Jeanty and Hampton are worthy of first-round investments.

“If a player at that position has a superpower you want on offense — yes, you can get a running back later, but you don’t bypass a guy who is clearly an identified fit for what you are lacking,” he said.

The draft could experience a run on running backs on the second day. Ohio State has two upper-echelon backs in TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins, who are ranked second and fourth, respectively, on former NFL running back Maurice Jones-Drew’s watch list. UCF’s RJ Harvey and Arizona State’s Cam Skattebo are in the second-round and third-round mix.

Harris represented the last running back selected by the Steelers in the first round. He was the first running back taken in the 2021 draft, going to the Steelers with the No. 24 overall pick. It also represented the last time the Steelers used any of their draft selections on the position.

To show their seriousness about scouting the class, the Steelers have used six of their first 24 official top-30 visits on running backs. They have hosted Hampton as well as Kansas State’s DJ Giddens, Oklahoma State’s Ollie Gordon, Virginia Tech’s Bhayshul Tuten, Iowa’s Kaleb Johnson and Tennessee Dylan Sampson.

It seems like a no-brainer that the Steelers will use one of their second-day or third-day picks on a running back to round out a room that includes Warren and free-agent signee Kenneth Gainwell.

“Because of the depth of this class — and it’s really good — if you have multiple needs, maybe you could see a scenario where teams are going to punt on a running back early and know they’ve still got some options there on Day 2,” said NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah.