2 weeks Ago
Derrick Harmon had an emotional night upon being selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers with the No. 21 overall pick in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft , and he described the moment as "bittersweet" when telling reporters that his mother is currently on life support. "It was a little bittersweet," Harmon said.
"My mom wasn't with me, she's at the hospital right now on life support. That was a little bittersweet man, because she worked as hard just as me to get to this moment, but it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, so like I said I'm very excited." Per a feature written by The Oregonian's Ryan Clarke this past October, Harmon's mother, Tiffany Saine, suffered a stroke during his freshman year while he was at Michigan State.
She was hospitalized and paralyzed from her left side, and during her recovery, Harmon visited her in Detroit, his home town, throughout that entire season. Saine flew out and saw Harmon play in-person as a member of the Oregon Ducks this past season, during which he logged five sacks and 45 tackles for one of the top defenses in the country. He further stated that he had not spoken to his mother at the time of his conversation with reporters, but that he planned on going straight to the hospital to see her afterwards.
"No I did not, like I said, she's on life support, so after I get off the phone with you guys I'm gonna head straight to the hospital and tell her her son got drafted," Harmon said. He also pointed out his mom's resiliency as being particularly impactful throughout his life and career. "How resilient she was," Harmon said.
"Just growing up from my standpoint and my situation, I grew up with her having probably seven to eight brain surgeries, and after all those brain surgeries, she did not give up. She still took me to practice, still went to work. Always in the back of my head from the beginning of my college career was, 'Why can't I keep going if I'm tired or I'm injured, whatever it is, why can't I keep going if she can get up and keep going after brain surgery.
' So just her resilience and her hard work really." It goes without saying just how much Harmon's mom means to him and how much motivation she's given him in every aspect of his life as he begins his NFL career. Make sure to bookmark Steelers On SI to get all your daily Pittsburgh Steelers news, interviews, breakdowns and more! Steelers Pass on QB Steelers Select Derrick Harmon in the 2025 NFL Draft Steelers NFL Draft Plans: Here We Go Broncos Could Ruin Steelers NFL Draft Plans Steelers Draft QB? Not Likely.
