Justin K. Aller/Getty Images Chris Boswell of the Pittsburgh Steelers kicks a 37-yard field goal from placeholder Pressley Harvin III to beat the Seattle Seahawks in overtime on October 17, 2021.
Pittsburgh Steelers punter Pressley Harvin III has had an up-and-down rookie season, but recent posts to his Instagram account suggest that he has more to worry about than kicking and holding.
On Monday he publicly thanked the Rooney family, head coach Mike Tomlin and the rest of the Steelers organization for making special arrangements to bring his father and another ailing family member to the December 19 game against the Tennessee Titans.
In a post first highlighted by Aditi Kinkhabwala of NFL Network, he wrote:
“Thank you to this organization for making this weekend special for my father. We found out this week that his time left on Earth is limited. With short notice we were able to get him to a game one last time. Continue to pray for my dad as well as my family as we navigate through hard times and continue to try to get my father in better health.
This is from #Steelers rookie punter Pressley Harvin III, who was booed yesterday. I wish we didn’t need reminders that we don’t ever really know the whole of someone’s challenges. Or that it’s a lot easier to show kindness and grace than the opposite. 💛 to the Harvin family.
Similarly, Harvin’s Instagram account currently features a photo that shows him on the sidelines with members of his family along with Steelers placekicker Chris Boswell and long snapper Christian Kuntz. That post notes that Harvin’s ailing grandmother also attended Sunday’s game at Heinz Field.
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Pressley Harvin III Has Been Inconsistent All Season Long
While the Steelers were able to secure a 19-13 victory over the Titans, it wasn’t the best day for Harvin individually. He punted five times for a total of 199 yards (39.8 average) and was booed by the Heinz Field crowd, as two short kicks landed out of bounds and he had another kick returned 55 yards by Titans punt returner Chester Rogers.
During his postgame press conference, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin took note of the struggles of his punt team, saying, “the punting component created short fields and so forth. They won the battle of field position (as) their special teams were better than ours.”
And while many Steelers fans would no doubt like to see Harvin replaced in the lineup, it’s doubtful that the organization will make a change, owing to the rookie’s upside potential and his effectiveness serving as a holder for Chris Boswell, who is having an All-Pro caliber season.
Pressley Harvin vs. Jordan Berry
Harvin—a 2021 seventh-round pick out of Georgia Tech—beat out incumbent Jordan Berry for Pittsburgh’s punting job in training camp, propelled by a sublime NFL debut in the 2021 Hall of Fame game against the Dallas Cowboys. But Berry landed on his feet, signed by the Minnesota Vikings two days after being released by the Steelers. He has since outperformed Harvin by a significant margin, despite having one of his punts blocked.
Through Week 14 of the regular season, Berry ranks 16th in the league with a 46.9-yard average and has a 42.9-yard average net, this according to NFL.com. Meanwhile, Harvin ranks 33rd in the league with a 43.3-yard average and a 38.1-yard net. Harvin has also had 14 punts land out of bounds, four more than the next closest punter, that being Brett Kern of the Titans, who has had ten punts go OOB.
Harvin has also been outplayed by 39-year-old Dustin Colquitt (46.8-yard average with two teams, Atlanta and Cleveland) who struggled mightily during the five games in which he punted for the Steelers in 2020. Colquitt is the son of former Steelers Super Bowl winner Craig Colquitt, who punted for the team between 1978 and 1984.
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