The NFL Draft can be a roller coaster of emotions for a lot of prospects. That was certainly the case for defensive lineman Derrick Harmon this week.
The Pittsburgh Steelers selected Harmon at No. 21 overall in the 2025 NFL Draft. Harmon received the opportunity to tell his mother, who was on life support in a hospital, that he had been drafted.
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Gerry Dulac reported that Harmon’s mother, Tiffany Saine, died hours after learning her son was heading to the Steelers.
“Derrick Harmon’s mom, who was on life support, passed away shortly after he went to the hospital and got to tell her he had been drafted by the Steelers,” tweeted Dulac.
Derrick Harmon’s mom, who was on life support, passed away shortly after he went to the hospital and got to tell her he had been drafted by the Steelers.
Dulac’s tweet received more than one million views and thousands of responses in support for Harmon in less than two hours.
“That’s so sad RIP,” a Pittsburgh sports account tweeted with a praying emoji.
“My condolences to the Harmon family,” tweeted NY Daily News’ Antwan V. Staley, who also included a praying emoji.
“I can’t fathom the emotions that young man is going through,” wrote a San Francisco 49ers artwork account. “Prayers to him and his family.”
“At least she got to see her son achieve his dream, RIP,” tweeted the College Football Report, which included a broken heart and praying emoji.
“Well now I’m a Derrick Harmon fan,” wrote another social media user. “I’m hurting for him and the rest of that family and group of her friends. RIP.”
Steelers Draft DT Derrick Harmon in First Round
Going into the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft, the big question on the minds of a lot of pundits was whether the Steelers would draft quarterback Shedeur Sanders if he was available at No. 21 overall.
Sanders was available when the Steelers made their selection. But Pittsburgh chose Harmon instead of the Colorado signal-caller.
Sanders continued to be a major draft storyline, as the quarterback didn’t get drafted in the first round. But in Pittsburgh, attention quickly turned to Harmon’s draft story and his mother.
Harmon told reporters Thursday night that his mother was on life support in the hospital. The defensive tackle rushed to her after the Steelers selected him at No. 21 overall.
“It was a little bittersweet. My mom wasn’t with me,” Harmon said, via PennLive.com’s Nick Farabaugh. “She’s at the hospital right now on life. That was a little bittersweet because she worked just as hard as me to get to this moment… After I got the phone with you guys, I’m headed straight to the hospital and kind of tell her that her son got drafted.”
Farabaugh reported Harmon’s mother suffered a stroke and went into the hospital when the defensive tackle was a freshman at Michigan State in 2021. After the stroke, Saine couldn’t walk and was paralyzed on the left side of her body.
After three seasons at Michigan State, Harmon played his senior year at Oregon. With money from his NIL deal in college, the defensive tackle bought his mother a wheelchair.
Social Media Reacts to Passing of Harmon’s Mother
NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero confirmed Dulac’s report on X that Harmon’s mother passed away. With Pelissero covering the league at large, his tweet received responses from fans of teams around the league sending love to the new Steelers defensive tackle.
“I’m so sorry for Harmon’s loss but his mom must be incredibly proud of him,” wrote an NFL writer. “Sending all the prayers and best wishes.”
“Just brutal,” wrote a social media user with a Cincinnati Bengals logo as his X profile picture. “I am glad that he got that brief moment with her before she passed.
“This is heartbreaking.”
“Harmon is such a high character guy,” wrote a Los Angeles sports fan. “So happy he got drafted last night.”
“Wow. The best day of his life is also the worst … man oh man,” a Titans fan wrote. “Praying for Harmon and all his family.”
“Puts the whole draft into perspective,” tweeted another user. “Prayers to him and his family.”
