Pittsburgh Steelers running back Najee Harris is staying busy in a unique way this offseason.
Harris was spotted wrestling in Mexico this week as the NFL offseason continues. He spoke about the experience afterwards and said he has a new level of respect for wrestlers.
“There’s a different level of appreciation seeing it in person. I mean like them going off the ropes, them flying around,” Harris said. “You kind of appreciate it more in person than on TV. You guys are real life athletes. … It’s dope.”
Harris is spending time in Mexico this week promoting the NFL ahead of the 2023 season. While there, he ended up getting an opportunity to enter a wrestling ring.
Harris was drafted by the Steelers in the first round of the 2021 NFL draft, No. 24 overall. The former Alabama star was named to the Pro Bowl in his first season in the NFL.
Harris, who won a pair of national titles at Alabama, rushed for 1,034 yards and seven touchdowns last season. As a rookie in 2021, Harris rushed for 1,200 yards.
In addition to rushing for more than 1,000 yards his first two seasons in the NFL, Harris also topped the 1,000-yard mark in his final two seasons of college football at Alabama.
He finished fifth in Heisman voting in 2020 when he rushed for 1,466 yards and 26 touchdowns as he led Alabama to a national title. The 26 touchdowns led college football that season.
Marshawn Lynch Says Steelers RB Najee Harris is Top 5 in the NFL
While Harris took a step back in 2022 from his rookie year, he still has a believe in former Seahawks star Marshawn Lynch.
Lynch appeared earlier this offseason on the I AM ATHLETE podcast, which is hosted by Brandon Marshall and Adam “Pacman” Jones. The hosts asked Lynch to name his top five running backs in the league.
He then named New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley, Cleveland Browns running back Nick Chubb, Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry, Las Vegas Raiders running back Josh Jacobs and Harris.
“This ain’t in no particular order, but Najee, Derrick Henry, Saquon, Josh, and Chubb,” Lynch said on the show.
Harris has rushed for over 1,000 years in both of his professional seasons with the Steelers. In 2022, he rushed the ball 272 times for 1,034 yards and seven touchdowns. However, Pittsburgh missed the playoffs. In 2021, he had 307 carries for 1,200 yards and seven scores.
