Steelers’ top draft pick Derrick Harmon carted off in injury scare

The Steelers may not have their first-round pick in Week 1.

Defensive tackle Derrick Harmon had to be carted off the field during Thursday’s preseason win over the Panthers after suffering a knee sprain.

Harmon is expected to miss several weeks, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, and is set for an MRI exam on Friday.

“He’s being evaluated,” head coach Mike Tomlin said after the 19-10 triumph.

Harmon seemingly suffered the injury during a pass rush when he tried to go around an offensive lineman and instead landed on the ground in the second quarter.

He then exited the field on a cart with a towel over his head while he appeared downtroddenn.

In a positive sign for the Steelers, he returned to the sideline in the second half in street clothes and the broadcast captured him smiling on the sidelines.

With the Sept. 7 season-opener against the Jets just 16 days away, Harmon could be in a battle to be ready for that game if that initial timeline proves true.

The MRI will provide further details, although Tomlin did not express concern when asked whether Harmon had suffered a serious ligament injury.

The Steelers drafted Harmon with the No. 21 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft to bolster a defensive line that already features stars in T.J. Watt and Cam Heyward.

ESPN noted that Harmon is an expected starter and viewed as the heir apparent to Heyward, who has hinted at a potential holdout while he hopes for a new contract.

“We think he’s had a really good camp,” Steelers assistant general manager Andy Weidl said of Harmon, per ESPN. “His explosiveness, his length, his hands, he’s always working his hands. The ability to escape blocks in both phases, the energy he comes off the ball with, the explosiveness, all of those things are … reasons why we drafted him, along with the makeup of who he is.”

The Steelers are three-point Week 1 road favorites over the Jets in what will mark Aaron Rodgers’ first game back at MetLife Stadium after two disappointing seasons with Gang Green.