Pittsburgh Steelers first-round pick Derrick Harmon was carted off the field during Thursday's preseason game against the Carolina Panthers after sustaining a knee injury. Coach Mike Tomlin said after the 19-10 win that Harmon suffered a "knee sprain" and is being further evaluated.

The rookie defensive lineman did not return to the game, but was later shown on the Steelers' bench in the second half and appeared to be in good spirits.

Harmon, the No. 21 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, was visibly emotional with a towel draped over his head as he was initially taken to the locker room.

Harmon was listed as a starting defensive end on Pittsburgh's unofficial depth chart. His injury is a potentially significant development ahead of roster cutdown day next Tuesday. 

Harmon recorded one tackle against the Panthers prior to the injury. In the Steelers' second preseason game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Harmon registered three total tackles and a sack.

Harmon played his college football at Michigan State before transferring to Oregon in 2024. At Michigan State, he totaled 71 tackles across three seasons and added 3.5 sacks and seven tackles for loss. At Oregon, he started all 14 games, earning second-team All-Big Ten honors and recognition as an Associated Press second-team All-American.

The past several months have been emotionally taxing for Harmon. His mother, Tiffany Saine, suffered a stroke during his freshman year at Michigan State and endured numerous brain surgeries. She was on life support when the Steelers drafted Harmon and died shortly after he arrived at the hospital to share the news of his selection.

"Man, how resilient she was," Harmon said when he was asked about how she inspired him. "Just growing up, from my standpoint, my situation, I grew up with her having probably seven, eight brain surgeries. And after all those brain surgeries, she did not give up. She still took me to practice, still went to work. And I always, always had in the back of my head, from the beginning of my college career, 'Why can I keep going if I'm tired, I'm injured, whatever it is? Why can I keep going if she can get up and keep going after brain surgery?' So, just her resilience and hard work. She was my inspiration."