The first round of the NFL draft was held last night in Green Bay. The Pittsburgh Steelers selected defensive lineman Derrick Harmon with their pick. He is the first defensive lineman the team has taken in the opening round since Cam Heyward in 2011. He will be introduced in Pittsburgh this afternoon.
Harmon played his senior season at Oregon after playing his first three seasons at Michigan State. Harmon transferred after the Spartans fired head coach Mel Tucker. He had five sacks, 10-1/2 tackles for a loss, three passes defended and two forced fumbles for the Ducks in helping them to the College Football Playoff.
As expected, the Tennessee Titans selected quarterback Cam Ward with the first overall pick. Only one other quarterback was taken in the opening round. Jaxson Dart was picked by the New York Giants after they traded three picks to the Houston Texans in order to move up to the #25 selection in the opening round. The Giants had also taken former Penn State star defensive lineman Abdul Carter with the #3 overall pick.
The Jacksonville Jaguars traded with the Cleveland Browns up to the #2 pick and selected two-way star from Colorado, Travis Hunter, who plays wide receiver and cornerback.
Another standout from the Penn State College Football Playoff team from 2024, tight end Tyler Warren was taken 14th overall by the Indianapolis Colts.
The draft resumes tonight with the second and third rounds beginning at 7pm. The Steelers do not have a second round selection after sending that to Seattle in their trade for wide receiver DK Metcalf. They will have the 83rd overall selection in the third round tonight.
Rounds four through seven of the NFL draft begins at noon Saturday in Green Bay. The Steelers have four selections during the day. The city of Pittsburgh will host the NFL draft in 2026.