The Extra Point: Steelers Had to Tell Najee Harris to Tone Things Down
It's not unusual for a rookie football player to try and do everything he can to make a good first impression with his NFL team.
But then there's former Alabama running back Najee Harris.
According to AllSteelers.com, the talk that the Steelers recently sent the Doak Walker Award winner home for his own good were true.
During Steelers' OTAs, veteran quarterback Ben Roethlisberger told the story of running backs coach Eddie Faulkner asking Harris to leave the facility because he was watching film for so long.
"It just shows he is still in there watching film and he is constantly asking questions, and that is good," Roethlisberger said. "He doesn't seem lost. It's not too big for him. His head's not spinning."
Faulkner backed up the story, confirming he had to tell Harris to leave and go do something else for a while and relax.
"It is true. Let me tell you why it's true, because I'm all for hard work and the extra," Faulkner said. "I'm here for all of it. I love it. But he also has to learn. Part of Najee and getting to know Najee in the draft process, he has to learn how to give himself breaks."
Although Harris was a first-round selection by the Steelers at No. 24 overall, offensive coordinator Matt Canada said during minicamp that no one's snap count is set in stone this season. Harris is competing with Anthony McFarland, Benny Snell Jr. and Jaylen Samuels.
On and off the field, Faulkner says his rookie running back is constantly asking questions, trying to fine-tune his game throughout the summer.
"He's constantly asking, 'what can I do better? How can I do this better? How can I use this technique?" Faulkner explained. "The best part, it's not even him being thirsty for that, it's that he listens. And then, the application.
"That's always the hard part, making sure they're applying what they're hearing. He works to apply it."
The Extra Point is a regular weekday feature on BamaCentral+, and often includes video and other elements from our FanNation parters. Other recent segments include:
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