During a post-practice press conference at the Pittsburgh Steelers’ rookie minicamp on Saturday, a reporter asked running back Najee Harris about a one-handed catch he’d made during the workout.
The former Alabama All-American was confused.
“You saw that?” Harris asked. “You guys were there?”
After being told that reporters had been at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex to watch practice and where they stood during the workout, Harris said: “Man, I thought y’all were boosters.”
Harris didn’t realize that difference between college and the NFL, but he’s already aware of others after getting to work with the Steelers.
“In college, the competition level is nowhere near the NFL, so for me, I always tell myself I’ve got start back to Step 1,” Harris said, “so I’m starting back at Step 1, so all the basics now I’ve got to relearn and try to become better at, like be more explosive, footwork, having better eyes, catching the ball better, be a more explosive player, because like I said, the competition level, the difference between college and NFL is two different places.
“College sometimes you might line up against people who are not going to play at the next level. But in the NFL, you play against the best of the best. It’s all about starting with Step 1 and building all of the way up. … Every time you’re at a new pinnacle in life or a new step, you always want to start — for me I always want to start at Step 1 and make my way up.”
Harris joined Pittsburgh as the first running back selected in the NFL Draft on April 29. But the Steelers plan to do more than hand off to Harris, which let him see another difference between college and the pros.
NAJEE HARRIS SET TO EXTEND ALABAMA STREAK AFTER JOINING STEELERS
“We do a lot of studying at Bama, just a lot of film work,” Harris said. “But here, I think it has reached another level of how much time I’ve spent just learning the plays. I’m going to be utilized everywhere, so they want me to know multiple positions, so it’s a lot more film work than college. But I don’t have no school no more, so I have no issue spending that much time in the film room because it’s something I like.”
Harris said he’s “trying to be a sponge” in his first days with the Steelers.
“I just came in here really just to learn the offense – it is a new offense – so just came to learn and bond with some of the guys here, of course, in the minicamp” Harris said. “But the main goal is to get better each day. That’s it.”
As the only running back at Pittsburgh’s rookie minicamp, Harris has a personal coach this weekend in Eddie Faulkner, who guides the Steelers’ running backs.
“He’s getting an opportunity to work one-on-one with coach Faulkner at the running-back position,” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said, “and it provides plenty of opportunity for him to verbalize his knowledge and things of that nature. I think you teach a little bit differently when you don’t have numbers. You talk as opposed to doing in an effort to preserve.”
Tomlin said the goals for the rookie minicamp “are to get an assessment of conditioning and for them to have an opportunity to display their conditioning, to do some teaching and learning, to understand how they take in information individually and collectively, to deliver information to them, to utilize all our teach tools in an effort to get to know them from a teaching and learning perspective.”
In the conditioning category, Harris gets high marks, Tomlin said.
“I think he is as highly conditioned as anybody out there, and that’s a great place to begin,” Tomlin said. “I think he’s got a nice foundation from that perspective.
“He’s a sharp guy. He’s a football guy. You can tell he is passionate about football. He can articulate the game very well, so it’s a lot to be excited about.”
Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.
· Landon Dickerson makes it on the field for Eagles’ rookie minicamp
· Jaylen Waddle has his mind on practice after getting millions
· Jordan Smith on board for Urban Meyer’s next dynasty
· Bears’ Eddie Jackson changing to Alabama number
· Dolphins sign former Alabama tight end
· Former James Clemens star loves ‘playing for defensive guys’
· DeVonta Smith ready to resume building connection with Jalen Hurts
