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The 2022 NFL draft is so close you can taste it. All of the debate and dissection of the incoming rookie class are about to end.
Depending on what you read, the Pittsburgh Steelers are going with Kenny Pickett or Malik Willis at No. 20 on Thursday, April 28.
In Peter King’s final mock draft, he projects it’s Pickett who falls to the Steelers. “Could it be Willis here?” King wrote. “Yes, it could. I wouldn’t be surprised. But I’ve heard the Steelers think Pickett’s more likely to succeed as a pro.”
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King, who says Pickett to Pittsburgh is “more of a gut feeling than anything else,” also cited history in his case.
“How cool would it be if the Steelers, who passed on Pitt’s Dan Marino in 1983 when a successor to Terry Bradshaw was desperately needed (they picked Gabe Rivera) would 39 years later take Pitt’s Pickett to be the long-term sub for Ben Roethlisberger?
Yes, it would be pretty cool. And such a feel-good story for the NFL to run with.
Najee Harris Sees the Draft Going Another Way
Peter King has his take, but if you talk to Steelers star running back Najee Harris, he sees the draft going another way. Harris believes the Steelers will address the defensive side of the ball with their first pick.
“I like certain players, but I won’t waste my time telling them who I like,” Harris told The Spun. “It’s not my job. I just got to worry about what I can control. I bet you they go defense, though (with the first pick). They always go defense. I’m surprised they even drafted me.”
Harris’ tongue-in-cheek premonition may just be valid, as Pittsburgh does have its fair share of aging players on the defensive front. Tackles Cam Heyward and Tyson Alualu will be turning 33 and 35 in May. Though he intends to play in 2022, an ankle injury kept Alualu sidelined for all but one game and four snaps last season. The status of defensive end Stephon Tuitt, whose contract voids after the 2022 season, remains up in the air.
Najee Harris En Mexico
Soccer is king in Mexico, but American football is hot far behind, and the Steelers have a massive following south of the border. As if Mexicans didn’t already bleed Black and Gold, Najee Harris’ 2021 postgame interview with ESPN Deportes further boosted his team’s presence. The footage of Harris belting out Control’s “Tao Tao” immediately went viral.
A month later, the NFL announced its new International Home Market initiative and granted Mexico the Pittsburgh Steelers’ international market. The program “grants clubs access to international territories for marketing, fan engagement and commercialization as part of an important, long-term, strategic effort to enable clubs to build their global brands while driving NFL fan growth internationally.”
As part of the initiative, the NFL is sending Harris down to Mexico to announce the Pittsburgh Steelers’ fourth-round draft selection.
The Steelers need to add some depth at running back, so it would be fun to see Harris announce the name of a solid mid-round player who can spell him as a change-of-pace.
Harris touched the ball 381 times, the sixth-highest total for a rookie since the AFL-NFL merger in 1966. As much as the star feeds off getting the ball, it would be wise to draft a back to ease Harris’ workload or his career will be short-lived.
Harris is GRRRREAT!
Off the field has been just as productive for Najee Harris this offseason. One of the many programs the second-year running back is involved in is Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes Mission Tiger, which grants school-aged kids better access to sports.
Tony the Tiger wanted to celebrate his big win of achieving his goal to help 1 million kids gain better access to sports. So, on April 21, Tony teamed up with Harris to surprise Pittsburgh’s Greenfield Elementary School’s co-ed flag football team with a donation of new football equipment, uniforms and more.
According to the Mission Tiger press release, the donation will “help middle schoolers at Greenfield Elementary as well as impact every middle school in the Pittsburgh Public Schools district, ultimately helping more than 38,000 Pittsburgh kids play sports. Kids across the city will enjoy better access to improved fields, upgraded training equipment, new uniforms and more.”
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Najee Harris and Tony the Tiger surprised kids at Pittsburgh’s Greenfield Elementary School with a Mission Tiger donation. (Credit: Matthew Shuck for Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes)
Harris has made Pittsburgh his new home and is all about lending a helping hand in the community, especially when it comes to youth sports.
“When Tony the Tiger asked me to join him in making a difference in my hometown of Pittsburgh, I had to jump at the chance to join Mission Tiger and help support middle school sports,” said Harris. “I’ve played football my entire life, and it has had such a positive impact on me, both on and off the field. I’m excited to be in Pittsburgh today to deliver this donation and throw a few passes with these young athletes and my pal Tony.”
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