Derrick Harmon hasn’t gotten around to taking the customary tour of Pittsburgh that the Steelers’ first-round draft pick typically enjoys.
He hasn’t eaten at Primanti Bros., taken the incline to the top of Mt. Washington or received a close-up view of Acrisure Stadium.
Harmon, the defensive tackle from Oregon, returned to the city this week after making a brief appearance two weeks ago on draft weekend. He hasn’t done much aside from seeing the inside of his hotel room and the training facility at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex.
He believes, though, that he’s the perfect fit for the franchise, agreeing with coach Mike Tomlin and general manager Omar Khan that Harmon has “Steelers DNA” in him.
“You’ve got to have some grit to be in this organization,” Harmon said Friday on the first day of rookie minicamp. “You’ve got to have a little bit of an edge to you. You’ve got to play with a little bit of pride, and I feel like that is me.”
Harmon’s time around the organization was limited earlier due to the death of his mother on the night the Steelers selected him with the No. 21 overall draft pick. He drove with family members from his home in Detroit the day after the Steelers drafted him and met with team officials before making the trek back home.
That trip was cathartic. The one he took this week was filled with a different kind of purpose.
“I’m doing the best I can right now,” Harmon said. “I’m in football mode. I’m in my element. I’ve got my mind on a few things, but I’ll be OK.”
His mother’s death remains fresh, as it would for any 21-year-old who was raised primarily by a single parent.
“I’m still dealing with it,” Harmon said. “I don’t know, I’m putting one foot in front of the other, really.”
For this weekend, at least, Harmon can find comfort in the sanctuary of the locker room. He is one of 45 players attending the Steelers’ rookie minicamp and among the 15 drafted and undrafted players participating in the three-day event.
“It’s unbelievable,” Harmon said of his locker room experience. “A dream come true. I get to be around my guys, my new teammates. I’m ready to work with them.”
For the first time, Harmon got to work on the practice field with fellow defensive draft picks such as fourth-round outside linebacker Jack Sawyer and fifth-round defensive tackle Yahya Black. Defensive line coach Karl Dunbar had Harmon and Black working together on the blocking sled as he provided personalized instruction to each player.
“We have to set (the tone) early,” Harmon said. “This is a totally different league from what I’m used to and what Black is used to. We have to come in and dominate. That is what we have to do.”
Sawyer said he and Harmon have mutual friends and became acquainted better at the NFL Combine in February.
“We got a chance to talk and hang out and, wouldn’t you know it, a couple months later we’re teammates,” Sawyer said. “It’s pretty cool.”
The Steelers have given Harmon a locker next to former second-round pick Keeanu Benton, who is entering his third season.
“That’s a nice teammate to have,” Harmon said. “He came from the Big Ten like me, so we know how ball is.”
The Steelers drafted Harmon because he is similar in style and build to Cameron Heyward, who turned 36 this week and is entering his 15th season with the Steelers. As a first-round pick, Harmon will be asked to help stabilize a defensive front that was exposed in the wild-card playoff loss by Baltimore. The Steelers yielded 299 yards rushing in that game.
Harmon is ready for the challenge.
“Whatever role they give me, I will play the role to the best of my ability,” he said. “Whether it’s being a rookie and sitting on the sideline or starting Day 1, I’m here to play my role and do it to the best of my ability.”