(Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images)
Throughout the pre-draft process in 2021 and even during the season, Pro Football Focus constantly claimed that Najee Harris wasn't worth being a first-round pick. They even went as far as saying that Harris was the worst first-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.
In an interview with Jenna Lemoncelli of the New York Post, Harris revealed that he was well aware of what PFF said about him.
'Well, everybody’s entitled to their opinion,” Harris told The Post, laughing. “I hate PFF too.”
In his rookie campaign, Harris rushed for 1,200 yards and seven touchdowns on 307 carries, and caught 74 passes for 467 yards and three touchdowns. Harris' 1,200 yards rushing broke Franco Harris' franchise rookie rushing record, which was set in 1972. Harris made the Pro Bowl as an alternate.
“I mean, there were some people who didn’t like the pick and there are some people who did,” Harris said. “What matters is, I got picked. So, what am I going to do next? Do I come in there and show that I was a bust, or are you going to come in there and take over and show them why a [running back] was picked in the first round. And some people might not think I even did that, too, which is cool. I guess everybody’s entitled to their opinion.
“But personally, I’m going to do everything I can to help the team out, so my teammates and coaches and GM to know that it wasn’t a bad pick. And I appreciate [the Steelers] for even taking a running back in the first round. But I saw that. I mean, it’s cool. I just laugh at it. I put that with all the other stuff that they say bad about me and you’re not going to get rid of that stuff. So it’s cool. I like it, actually.”