3-Round 2021 NFL Mock Draft: Broncos, Bears trade up for quarterbacks
By Randy Gurzi
Najee Harris. 24. player. RB. 55. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. Alabama
24. Pittsburgh Steelers: Najee Harris, RB, Alabama
Following an 11-0 start to the season, the Pittsburgh Steelers completely fell apart. They dropped four of their final five games including a Week 17 loss where they played their reserves against the Cleveland Browns. They were defeated by just two points but allowed the Browns to make the playoffs based on that win and then they started to make fun of Cleveland — who they faced the very next week in a playoff game.
As fate would have it, the Browns beat up on the Steelers as Pittsburgh looked slow and uninspired. Now, they head into 2021 needing something to spark them — and bringing back a Tik Tok star in JuJu Smith-Schuster and a quarterback on his last leg in Ben Roethlisberger won’t do it.
The good news is, they can find a spark plug in the draft, and they do so in this mock with Alabama running back Najee Harris still on the clock. There’s been a belief in recent years that taking a running back in Round 1 is a mistake, but it’s not at this point. Harris being chosen at 24 just gives them a player on an affordable contract that can start for four or five seasons, then they can move on.
During those years, he will be a force for the Steelers. A 230-pound back who is hard to take down, Harris is going to continue to have success at the next level and could be the missing piece in this offense.