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Steelers' Najee Harris Slides in Latest RB Rankings

The Pittsburgh Steelers running back falls outside of the top half.

Noah Strackbein

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PITTSBURGH -- Pittsburgh Steelers running back Najee Harris rushed for back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons his first two years in the NFL. But still, the black and gold's leading rusher isn't being viewed as one of the best in the league. 

Pro Football Focus recently ranked the top 32 running backs in the NFL, with Harris landing outside the top 15, ranking 19th on the list. 

"Harris has been solid throughout his NFL career," PFF writes. "He’s rushed for more than 1,000 yards in each of his first two seasons but did so with a sub-4.0 yards-per-carry average. So far, he’s been a product of his volume more than efficiency. We’ll see if he can take that next step in 2023."

Harris falls behind AFC North rivals J.K. Dobbins (18th) and Nick Chubb (1st). He sits in front of Bengals running back Joe Mixon, who ranks 22nd on the list. 

The 18 backs in front of him are as followed:

  1. Nick Chubb
  2. Derrick Henry
  3. Christian McCaffrey
  4. Josh Jacobs
  5. Jonothan Taylor
  6. Saquon Barkley
  7. Aaron Jones
  8. Tony Pollard
  9. Austin Ekeler
  10. Dalvin Cook
  11. Breece Hall
  12. Kenneth Walker
  13. Alvin Kamara
  14. Damion Pierce 
  15. Travis Etienne
  16. Rhamondre Stephenson
  17. Tyler Allgeier
  18. J.K. Dobbins

Last year, PFF ranked Harris as the 11th-best running back in the league, labeling him an "elusive back on a rookie deal." 

Harris has struggled to gain explosive plays, but his offensive line has been under construction the whole time he's been in Pittsburgh. If first-round pick Broderick Jones replaces Dan Moore Jr. at left tackle this season, only one player, Chuks Okorafor, would remain a starter from the first five Harris ran behind for the Steelers. 

With the addition of Isaac Seumalo and Jones, Harris could be in for his first real breakout season in the NFL. 

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Noah Strackbein
NOAH STRACKBEIN

Noah is the Publisher for All Steelers, Inside the Panthers (InsideThePanthers.com) and Inside the Penguins (InsidethePenguins.com), and is the host of All Steelers Talk (YouTube.com/AllSteelersTalk). A Scranton native, Noah made his way to the Pittsburgh sports scene in 2017. Now, he's pretty much full-yinzer.

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