Najee Harris boosts his profile during first taste of NFL life at Steelers rookie minicamp

May 15—The black shorts and white uniform jersey should have been the giveaway to Najee Harris that he's not in college anymore.

Harris spent the past two days of rookie minicamp wearing the practice threads of his new employer, the Pittsburgh Steelers, a sharp departure from the crimson and white he sported at Alabama.

Still, the 23-year-old running back couldn't help but slip into some old habits from his college days Saturday.

For instance, he didn't realize the assembled group of men and women standing on a balcony overlooking UPMC Rooney Sports Complex practice fields were reporters and media relations staffers.

"Man, I thought you all were boosters," Harris said on a video interview Saturday after a morning workout. "That's crazy."

The exchange occurred when Harris was asked about his ability to catch the football. During one drill, he reached over his head and made a one-handed grab of a pass from former Slippery Rock quarterback Roland Rivers III. Harris was surprised this catch was considered newsworthy, and he asked the reporter if he always covered the Steelers, seemingly wondering whether the questioner had seen his college highlights before.

"I always do that," Harris said, incredulously. "Not to brag or anything. It wasn't luck, I can tell you that. Since you all were watching, I can do it again. It's not something I work on. It's something I've been doing since middle school.

"I've got big hands, man."

Although his naivete came across on Zoom, Harris was much more polished on the practice field. The Steelers got their first taste of the running and catching skills that made Harris a first-round draft pick, and coach Mike Tomlin came away impressed by the player who will be a key in the team's revamped running game.

"I think he is as highly conditioned as anybody out there, and that is a great place to begin," Tomlin said. "I think he has a nice foundation from that perspective. He is a sharp guy. He is a football guy. You can tell he is passionate about football. He can articulate the game very well, so it's a lot to be excited about."

At Alabama, Harris set school records with 57 total touchdowns, 46 rushing scores and 3,843 rushing yards. His 4,624 all-purpose yards rank second in school history. He sees similarities between what the Crimson Tide did and what Matt Canada is trying to install in his first year as offensive coordinator.

"We did a lot studying at 'Bama," Harris said. "Here, it has reached another level of how much time I've spent learning the plays. I'm going to be utilized everywhere, so I have to learn multiple positions. It's a lot of more film work than college. I don't have school anymore, so I'm glad about that. I have no issue about spending that much time in the film room because it's something I like.

"I'm ready for the challenge. It's what they picked me for. I'll be glad to block for Ben, learn these new formations and try to help the team out as much as possible."

Tomlin spent a few minutes during the morning stretch conversing with Harris, who also spent some quality one-on-one time with position coach Eddie Faulkner. As the only running back on the 34-player rookie roster, Harris was used in a multitude of ways during team drills.

"That provides plenty of opportunity for him to verbalize his knowledge and things of that nature," Tomlin said. "I think you teach a little bit differently when you don't have the numbers. You talk as opposed to doing as an effort to preserve. He's had plenty of opportunities to display what I outlined."

The work for Harris and the rest of the rookie class will resume Monday. It will ramp up May 24 when the Steelers can begin conducting 10 organized team activities over a three-week span, followed by a mandatory minicamp.

It remains to be seen how many of Harris' new teammates will be on hand. The NFLPA wants its members to conduct all work virtually as was the case in 2020 at the height of the coronavirus pandemic. The Steelers are one of many teams that, through the union, have elected to boycott on-field work at OTAs. NFL teams, however, are conducting business as usual.

It's likely drafted rookies and undrafted free agents — the Steelers had 29 total on hand this weekend — will be at the South Side facility trying to improve their NFL stock.

"For me, I always tell myself I have to start back at Step 1," Harris said. "It's starting back to basics and trying to re-learn and try to be better at being more explosive, footwork, having better eyes, catching the ball better and be a more explosive player. The competition level and the difference between college and the NFL is two different places."

A difference that was reinforced to Harris on Saturday.

Joe Rutter is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Joe by email at jrutter@triblive.com or via Twitter .