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Najee Harris Gives Steelers Fans A Flash of the Future

The former Alabama running back turned a short pass into a big gain to help lead a preseason win against the Lions over the weekend.
Christopher Walsh|
Najee Harris Gives Steelers Fans A Flash of the Future
Najee Harris Gives Steelers Fans A Flash of the Future

A week after rookie Najee Harris caused Steelers fans some concern after his inadvertent attempt at a hurdle against the Eagles, the former Alabama running back gave them a flash of why he was the No. 24 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.

Against the Lions on Saturday, Harris caught a pass on third down from starting quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, stiff-armed a defender, outran four more and made another two miss.

The 46-yard pass play led to a Steelers touchdown drive, but one of its most telling aspects was that one of the players who couldn't stop him was Jeff Okudah, the No. 3 pick from the 2020 NFL draft.

Overall, Harris had four carries for 10 rushing yards, and two catches for 53 yards.

He was one of the rookies to highlight the 26-20 victory, the Steelers' preseason home opener.

"With this rookie group we get better every day," Harris said after the game. "Coming in a lot of us had a good opportunity to play as rookies. To get better every day as a rookie was really emphasized a lot this year because a lot of us would play early. I am happy to see Pat, KG [Kendrick Green] and Dan [Moore Jr.] all out there making plays and doing a good job."

In evaluating the winners and losers from the exhibition, All Steelers listed Harris first: "Was it the rookies bringing out vintage Big Ben or vintage Big Ben bringing out the rookies? Either way, the Pittsburgh Steelers love it."

The Extra Point is a regular feature on BamaCentral, and often includes video and other elements from our FanNation partners. Other recent segments include:

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Christopher Walsh
CHRISTOPHER WALSH

Christopher Walsh is the founder and publisher of Alabama Crimson Tide On SI, which first published as BamaCentral in 2018, and is also the publisher of the Boston College, Missouri and Vanderbilt sites. He's covered the Crimson Tide since 2004 and is the author of 26 books including “100 Things Crimson Tide Fans Should Know and Do Before They Die” and “Nick Saban vs. College Football.” He's an eight-time honoree of Football Writers Association of America awards and three-time winner of the Herby Kirby Memorial Award, the Alabama Sports Writers Association’s highest writing honor for story of the year. In 2022, he was named one of the 50 Legends of the ASWA. Previous beats include the Green Bay Packers, Arizona Cardinals and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, along with Major League Baseball’s Arizona Diamondbacks. Originally from Minnesota and a graduate of the University of New Hampshire, he currently resides in Tuscaloosa.

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