Najee Harris could not resist a playful jab, especially on live television. It’s been seven years since Maurice Jones-Drew made the wrong recruiting pitch to the Steelers’ rookie, and there’s no such thing as a statute of limitations when two sons of Antioch, Calif., reunite to discuss old times.
Jones-Drew and Harris sat under a white canopy — the remote set for the NFL Network’s coverage of Steelers’ training camp on Sunday afternoon at Heinz Field — as host Scott Hanson quickly readied his questions. Harris wasn’t scheduled to appear on camera. He had just dropped by to say hello to the former Jaguars’ Pro Bowler, who hails from the same Bay Area hometown.
But with about 40 Steelers’ fans standing in the background, Harris called an audible and grabbed a microphone. Less than 30 seconds into the interview, Harris veered delightfully off script.
“We played against his 7-on-7 team and we always beat him,” Harris said casting a theatrical side eye at the former running back. “But it’s all good. That’s for another day — TMP Elite.”
Upon hearing the name of Harris’ old team, Jones-Drew said: “All right, stop it.”
Harris laughed and tapped him on the shoulder, adding: “That’s another conversation, an insider (story) there.”
After the interview concluded, Jones-Drew revealed the details of the old gridiron battles with the 15-year-old Harris as a way of preparing Steelers’ fans for what to expect from their first-round draft pick.
“I met him at Diabalo Valley College and we trying to get him to play for our 7-on-7 team,” Jones-Drew recalled. “He was like, ‘Can I play receiver?’ and I was like, ‘You’re gonna play a little more running back.’ He went to another team and he beat us every time because he played receiver. I was coaching, calling plays and we were putting up points, but we couldn’t stop him.”
Jones-Drew sees Harris as “Le’Veon (Bell) 2.0.” The three-time Pro Bowler shares the same agent as Bell, who played five seasons in Pittsburgh, and the NFL Network analyst believes he knows what the Steelers have planned for Harris.
Despite helping Alabama win a national title last season and leaving the university as its all-time leading rusher, Harris was not utilized to his maximum capacity, Jones-Drew said. That sometimes happens at collegiate powerhouses like Alabama, where five-star athletes populate the depth chart.
Harris rushed for 3,843 yards on 638 carries at Alabama and caught 80 passes for 781 yards.
Jones-Drew believes the Steelers will make full use of Harris’ talents.
“He’s a legitimate three-down back like Le’Veon was here,” Jones-Drew said of the two-time All-Pro. “I’ve been telling people that for a long time. He can run it, catch it, block it. Just because Alabama didn’t use him that way, doesn’t mean it isn’t true. They chose not to use his full skillset, which is really good.”
Jones-Drew expects the Steelers to line up Harris all over the formation to create mismatches. They have shown a willingness to do it throughout camp. On Saturday, they split him out wide during an 11-on-11 period and he caught a long pass down the sideline with linebacker Devin Bush in coverage.
There have been a few dropped balls among the catches, but Jones-Drew isn’t concerned.
“They will do with him what they did with Le’Veon,” Jones-Drew said. “He becomes a mismatch, and that’s only going to help out Ben (Roethlisberger).”
Jones-Drew retired following the 2014 season after eight years with the Jaguars and one with the Raiders. He remained in the Bay Area and took an interest in the local prep scene, where he saw Joe Mixon (Bengals) and Harris play.
He said Harris’ multi-faceted abilities were evident as a 14-year-old freshman getting ready to enroll at Antioch High. Jones-Drew was drawn to the youngster’s story and how his family had overcome a string of evictions and spells of homelessness that saw Harris living in shelters and sometimes sleeping in vans.
“I knew he could make it,” Jones-Drew said. “It was only a matter of whether he could stay healthy and eliminate the distractions and temptations. I’m proud of that, and it makes me a little emotional. Because there are guys who come out of our area that don’t make it because of whatever distractions that sidelined them.”
Jones-Drew admits he didn’t know what to expect from his first meeting with Harris. Some young athletes blessed with precocious talents believe they have the world figured out. He was impressed with Harris’ humbleness and curiosity.
“He wanted to know what (my) life was like and we’ve stayed in touch the whole time,” said Jones-Drew, who rushed for more than 1,000 yards three straight seasons in Jacksonville. “Najee has been through a lot. Whether it’s maturity or whatever, he understands more, he’s seen a lot in his young life. I think through those experiences you become a better person and gain a greater understanding of life.”
The bond among Bay Area football players, regardless of the generation, is as strong as any in the country. They tend to look out for each other, and the older ones take it upon themselves to mentor the kids showing promise. Harris has said NFL standouts such as Marshawn Lynch and Marcus Peters offered encouragement and advice any time he sought it.
Throughout the draft process, Jones-Drew thought the Steelers would be a perfect fit for Harris.
“I remember saying if Pittsburgh takes him, they are going to have Le’Veon 2.0,” the analyst said. “You guys didn’t know that, but I saw it in him at a young age, 14-15 years old. I saw him making one-handed catches. I saw him dominating 7-on-7 tournaments. I saw the dominance on the football field without ever losing focus. . . . The first thing I ever said to Najee is, ‘Just work hard.’ He’s never stopped working.
“Pittsburgh should be really excited with what they have in him.”
