Alabama Football: Najee Harris makes NFL debut tonight

Alabama football’s favorite RB will play this Thursday

After months of waiting and training, Alabama football is finally back. It may not be the Crimson Tide specifically, but Alabama football players will play competitive football on national television this Thursday.

The Dallas Cowboys and Pittsburgh Steelers will play in this year’s Hall of Fame Game to begin the NFL preseason. The preseason isn’t nearly as competitive as the regular season, but it will still be a chance for Tide players to strap on their pads and compete to win a game.

Both the Cowboys and Steelers have plenty of former Alabama football players, but all eyes will be on rookie Najee Harris this evening. Harris was taken in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft and was the first running back selected. He thrived with the Tide, and he will look to do the same in Pittsburgh.

In Harris’s last official game, he combined for 158 all-purpose yards and scored three touchdowns in the national championship against Ohio State. As a senior, he averaged 145 scrimmage yards per game and scored 30 total touchdowns in 13 games against Power 5 opponents.

Harris proved his draft stock over the course of his Alabama football career. He developed as a runner, and his vision was elite. He became a better receiving back, and his agility and strength in the open field were hard to stop.

Harris will have a tall order this year as he will be the primary back in Pittsburgh. The Steelers let James Conner walk in free agency, and they’ve lost multiple pieces on their aging offensive line. With Big Ben approaching the end of his career, this offense will rely heavily on Harris’s ability to make something out of nothing. That’s a lot for any rookie to face, but Harris is used to overcoming adversity.

This will be the first of many NFL games for Najee Harris, and he will have the support of Tide fans across the country.