After losing Najee Harris to the Los Angeles Chargers in free agency, the Pittsburgh Steelers find themselves with a significant need at running back ahead of the 2025 NFL Draft.
Fortunately for the Steelers under GM Omar Khan, the position is quite deep in the draft class, providing the Steelers with an opportunity to land a good, young running back to pair with Jaylen Warren and free agent signee Kenneth Gainwell.
Though they’ve been connected to first-round running backs like Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty and North Carolina’s Omarion Hampton throughout the process, it seems unlikely the Steelers will address the position in the first round again. But Day 2 could be the sweet spot for the Steelers.
For Pro Football Focus’ Mason Cameron, there is one name at the position that profiles as the best fit for the Black and Gold on Day 2. That would be University of Central Florida running back RJ Harvey.
“Although he lacks the size to stand up to a full workload at the NFL level, Harvey profiles as one of the most elusive backs in college football,” Cameron writes regarding Harvey. “That ability showed up consistently on inside-zone concepts, where the UCF standout earned the highest PFF rushing grade in the class (89.5).
“He is an excellent fit in a Steelers offense that racked up the third-most inside-zone runs in 2024.”
Though the Steelers haven’t shown a ton of interest in him, Harvey is a great fit for them due to his explosive play-making ability, as well as his comfort and success in inside- and outside-zone run concepts.
Within the draft class, Harvey has the highest percentage of 10+ yard runs (21.1%) and 20+ yard runs (7.4%) of any running back. The Steelers are looking for that explosive element, and Harvey brings that.
Harvey measured in at 5080, 205 at the NFL Scouting Combine and clocked a 4.40 40-yard dash with a 10’7″ broad jump and a 38-inch vertical. During his time at UCF Harvey was quite productive. Across 640 offensive touches he generated 4,512 scrimmage yards, 47 touchdowns, and 6.5 yards per carry.
In a scouting report for Steelers Depot, Steven Pavelka stated that Harvey lacks the ideal size at the position, but that he is an explosive, versatile playmaker in the backfield who has shown the ability to bounce off of defenders and make plays. He gave Harvey a third-round grade.
“Though RJ Harvey is not to the caliber Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty is, Harvey can serve as a great backup for any team and has the potential to start for multiple organizations that lack an explosive, versatile back. His torn ACL in 2021 will be negatively looked at and for good reason. However, he has shown that that injury is not holding him back. In 2023 and 2024, he averaged 1,700 yards and 21 touchdowns from scrimmage in each year. He lacks the ideal size by falling in the 29th percentile for height and 51st percentile for weight but that does not affect his play style as he seems to almost invite contact. He has shown the ability to bounce off defenders as well as using a stiff-arm to his advantage when he sees fit.”
The Steelers don’t have a second-round pick due to the DK Metcalf trade with the Seattle Seahawks, so if they target and land a player like Harvey, it would have to be at No. 83 overall in the third round. He’s on the older side at 24 years old and has some fumbling issues, but there’s no denying his explosive play-making abilities.
Pittsburgh is seemingly searching for that after having the plodding Harris in the backfield for four years. Maybe Harvey is the player to address that deficiency in the run game.
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