Drafted 5 picks after Steelers took Najee Harris, Jaguars RB Travis Etienne taking star turn
Two and a half years after the Pittsburgh Steelers drafted Najee Harris to be their all-situations, highly-productive workhorse running back, the next player selected at that position in that 2021 draft is emerging as moreso exactly what the Steelers sought.
That player, Travis Etienne, will face the Steelers for the first time when the Jacksonville Jaguars visit Pittsburgh for a 1 p.m. kickoff Sunday.
“It’s a good battle,” Harris said this week about the matchup of starting running backs. “I always take everything as competition (so) I won’t say that wouldn’t be in my mind, two of the backs coming in and competing against each other. He’s great player.”
Etienne has been at his best this season, officially his third as a pro but his second seeing any action after a foot injury cost him his rookie season. The 5-foot-10, 215-pound Etienne is fourth in the NFL in rushing yards (504) and third in rushing touchdowns (seven) through seven weeks of the season.
With a pair of touchdowns against the Steelers, Etienne would become the first player since Hall of Famer LaDainian Tomlinson in 2006 to have two touchdowns in four consecutive games.
“He’s explosive. He can really explode,” Steelers defensive coordinator Teryl Austin said. “He’s got tremendous speed, and for not a real big guy in terms of how some of the running backs are in the league, he runs behind his pads, and he’ll run through arm tackles in a heartbeat. The guy is impressive.”
That style of running is what the 6-1, 242-pound Harris is most known for. After letting James Conner go in free agency and having taken running backs in the middle rounds of each of the prior four drafts to mostly-mediocre results, the Steelers at No. 24 overall in 2021 drafted Harris. He was the consensus top running back available.
Harris led the NFL in touches as a rookie (381), accumulating 1,667 yards from scrimmage while not missing a game.
But in part because of the emergence of 2022 undrafted rookie Jaylen Warren, the Steelers have since gradually lessened Harris’ workload.
“First year, obviously…. he had too many touches,” offensive coordinator Matt Canada said. “That was a big question Now, it’s not enough.
“Obviously we want to manage him. Want him to be at full strength all the time. Jaylen has done a very good job in protection. That’s not a secret. Obviously on third down he’s playing more.”
Part of the preference for Harris over Etienne 30 months ago was that Harris could and should project to be the more durable, every-down player. But this season, the script is flipped.
The 25th pick in the 2021 draft, Etienne leads the league in rushing attempts (127), total touches (151, tied) and snaps played by a running back (385). According to ESPN Stats and Information, Etienne has accounted for 41% of the Jaguars’ touches, 29% of their yards and 41% of their touchdowns — all of which rank in the top five in the NFL.
While Harris has a career per-carry average of 3.9 yards and has 13 carries of 15 or more yards the past two seasons, Etienne has a 4.7-yard average and 22 gains of 15-plus yards on rushes in that same time span since entering the league. Included in that total are touchdown runs this season of 17, 22, 26 and 35 yards.
In three NFL seasons, Harris has three touchdowns of more than 10 yards.
“Etienne obviously, (is successful) with his explosive run ability, his ability to hit the gas – particularly on the perimeter – and get yards in chunks,” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said.
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