Derrick Harmon, the Steelers' first-round pick and projected rookie starter, was carted off after sustaining a knee injury in the team's final preseason game against the Carolina Panthers. Harmon fell awkwardly on his right side after being shoved by guard Brandon Walton while turning the corner, which forced Panthers quarterback Jack Plummer to throw under duress and resulted in an interception. Harmon was ruled out in the second quarter. The team drafted him No. 21 overall for his physicality and versatility. Harmon recorded a preseason sack against Tampa Bay and received praise for explosiveness, length, hands, and ability to escape blocks.
"Being a first-rounder, being an automatic starter as a rookie, yeah," Harmon said of feeling pressure as a rookie starter. "But I feel like pressure makes diamonds."
"We think he's had a really good camp," assistant general manager Andy Weidl said of Harmon last week. "His explosiveness, his length, his hands, he's always working his hands. The ability to escape blocks in both phases, the energy he comes off the ball with, the explosiveness, all of those things are ... reasons why we drafted him, along with the makeup of who he is."
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