The opening night of the NFL Draft turned from triumph to tragedy too quickly for Pittsburgh Steelers rookie defensive tackle Derrick Harmon.
Pittsburgh selected Harmon with the 21st pick in the draft out of Oregon. Hours later, his mother, Tiffany Saine, died. Saine had been on life support at a suburban Detroit hospital after dealing with a stroke and recovering from multiple brain surgeries in the final years of her life. Before her passing, Harmon had told reporters he was leaving his draft party early to visit her at the hospital.
“On behalf of the entire Pittsburgh Steelers organization, I extend our deepest condolences to Derrick Harmon and his family during this difficult time,” Steelers president Art Rooney II said in a statement. “Though we are excited to select Derrick in the first round of the NFL Draft, our hearts are heavy as we mourn the death of his mother, Tiffany Saine. We will support Derrick and his family however we can as he navigates this period of grief.”
“In times like this, we hope Derrick finds comfort in the love and support from the organization and Steelers fans around the world,” Rooney continued. “Our thoughts and prayers will continue to be with Derrick’s entire family.”
A Detroit native, Harmon played for Michigan State for college from 2021 to 2023 before he transferred to Oregon for his senior season. Harmon called the moment of being drafted “a little bittersweet” because of his mom not being physically present at the draft party.
“My mom wasn’t with me, she’s at the hospital right now on life support, so that was a little bittersweet, because she worked just as hard as me to get to this moment,” Harmon told reporters on Thursday.
Harmon shared how he learned so much from his mother facing her health challenges. He also accommodated her with a wheelchair accessible van with his NIL money, so she could attend the Rose Bowl when Oregon played Ohio State.
“After all those brain surgeries, man, she did not give up,” Harmon said. “She still took me to practice, still went to work, and I always, always, in the back of my head from the beginning of my college career was, why can’t I keep going? If I’m tired, I’m injured, whatever it is, why can’t I keep going if she can get up and she keeps going after brain surgery?” Harmon said.
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin sees a high level of toughness in Harmon. Pittsburgh had numerous options and needs to fill with the No. 21 pick, but Tomlin saw “extreme urgency” in selecting Harmon to bolster the defensive front.
“I think the things that stood out were evident in his video,” Tomlin told reporters on Thursday. “There’s a toughness there that doesn’t get talked about enough. There’s a competitive spirit there; it doesn’t get talked about enough. I know he’s very talented and made a lot of plays for his university and his team, but the intangible qualities displayed on tape were impressive to me.”
Harmon became a high school football star at Loyola in Detroit before his three-year run at Michigan State. He tallied 71 tackles, 3.5 sacks, two pass deflections, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery in 28 games with the Spartans.
Harmon’s success only grew at Oregon in 2024 when he helped the Ducks go unbeaten in the regular season before a College Football Playoff loss to Ohio State. He garnered 45 tackles, five sacks, four pass deflections, two fumble recoveries, and two forced fumbles in 14 games for the Ducks.
