The biggest night of Derrick Harmon’s career will unfortunately be remembered in more ways than one.
Not long after the former Oregon defensive tackle was selected by the Steelers with the 21st pick, Hamon’s mother, who was on life support, died in a hospital, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Fortunately, Harmon was able to visit his mother, Tiffany Saine, at the hospital and tell her the exciting draft news before she passed, as he told reporters at a press conference following his selection.
Still, the Detroit native called the moment “bittersweet” since his mother couldn’t celebrate immediately with him in Green Bay.
“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,” Steelers owner Art Rooney II said in a statement on Friday. “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.”
Hours before the pick, Harmon posted a photo of him and his mom on his Instagram story.
He wrote, “This is all for you!!! and I’m do what you told me I can do a long time ago. I love you till the wheels fall off !!!!”
While Harmon was growing up, Saine had “about eight brain surgeries,” he told ESPN.
She also had a stroke while her son was a freshman at Michigan State.
In his senior season, Harmon used his earned NIL money at Oregon to buy his mom a car — an accessible van after she had a stroke.
The Steelers, who are knowingly on the hunt for a quarterback and are being dragged along by Aaron Rodgers’ indecisiveness, passed on a signal-caller for Harmon.
Head coach Mike Tomlin came down to “extreme urgency.”
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“To be quite honest with you, there’s no substitute for young talent,” he told reporters in a press conference. “You don’t have a chance to fill a quality defense unless you’re stout inside and up front. And this is a young guy that has an opportunity to learn from the likes of Cam Heyward and put his hand in that pile — and be a significant contributor for years to come.”
After three seasons with Michigan State, where Harmon chose in order to stay close to home and his mother, the defensive star transferred to Oregon for his senior season, tallying five sacks, 11 tackles for loss, and two forced fumbles for the Ducks.
He was awarded a second-team All-Big Ten honor, and he won a conference championship and a No. 1 overall seeding with Oregon.
