Steelers RB Najee Harris had a rough start to his 2022 season, with some even naming him a bust. But the former 24th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft had quite the turnaround in the second half of the year.
Harris was graded as the best running back in the NFL since Week 13, according to Pro Football Focus.
Harris dealt with a foot injury to start the season that he had suffered during training camp. He rushed for just 361 yards and one touchdown before the Steelers’ Week 9 bye.
However, the bye week may be all he needed, finishing the year with 673 yards and six touchdowns on the ground, per ESPN.com.
While there was a lot of outside noise surrounding Harris, head coach Mike Tomlin always had his back.
“I thought he got better with each passing day. He’s a mentally tough guy and a competitor. His play got consistently better throughout. I expected it to,” Tomlin said.
Harris has now posted back-to-back 1,000+ rushing yard seasons to start his career, the first Steeler to ever eclipse such a feat.
Harris helped prove the Steelers were right in drafting him so high and will look to continue doing so in 2023.
