It's True, Steelers RB Coach Had to Tell Najee Harris to Go Home

NFL players carry a special work ethic, but Najee Harris' might be unmatched.

PITTSBURGH -- It's no secret it takes a special kind of work ethic to become a first-round pick in the NFL Draft. But Pittsburgh Steelers' Najee Harris is taking it to a whole new level. 

During Steelers Organized Team Activities, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger told the story of running backs coach Eddie Faulkner asking Harris to leave the facility because they were watching film for so long. 

"It just shows he is still in there watching film and he is constantly asking questions, and that is good," Roethlisberger said. "He doesn't seem lost. It's not too big for him. His head's not spinning."

Faulkner backed up that story, confirming he had to tell Harris to leave and go watch television and relax. 

"It is true. Let me tell you why it's true, because I'm all for hard work and the extra," Faulkner said. "I'm here for all of it. I love it. But he also has to learn. Part of Najee and getting to know Najee in the draft process, he has to learn how to give himself breaks."

Harris' work ethic goes beyond studying film. On and off the field, Faulkner says his rookie running back is constantly asking questions, trying to fine-tune his game throughout the summer. 

"He's constantly asking, 'what can I do better? How can I do this better? How can I use this technique?" Faulkner explained. "The best part, it's not even him being thirsty for that, it's that he listens. And then, the application. 

"That's always the hard part, making sure they're applying what they're hearing. He works to apply it."

Harris is competing with Anthony McFarland, Benny Snell Jr. and Jaylen Samuels for snaps this season. Offensive coordinator Matt Canada said during minicamp that he doesn't have any set in stone on each player's snap count.

"We are very happy with all of our running backs right now," Canada said. "Again, I'm really pleased with efforts that we made trying to come together and put together an offense as a staff and then our players adapted and done well. Faulk [Eddie Faulkner] has done well with that entire group and how those things come out in the fall is yet to be determined."

Noah Strackbein is a Publisher with AllSteelers. Follow Noah on Twitter @NoahStrack, and AllSteelers @si_steelers.

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