Najee Harris was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers with the 24th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, but it was a celebrity – not head coach Mike Tomlin – that first broke the news to him.
On a recent episode of Bryant McFadden’s podcast “All Things Covered,” Harris provided an inside look into his chaotic draft night, which began with a phone call from Snoop Dogg – a die-hard Steelers fan.
“I talked to Snoop Dogg before I talked to the Steelers,” Harris said. “I spoke with my agent and he was like, ‘Hey, it’s Snoop Dogg.’ It’s like, Snoop Dogg? I was like ‘Oh what’s up bro?’”
Snoop congratulated Harris on being drafted by Pittsburgh, though the running back still doesn’t know how the rapper learned of the pick before it was announced. Moments later, he received a call from his future coach.
Najee Harris provided an inside look into his chaotic draft night, which began with a phone call from Snoop Dogg. Getty
Snoop Dogg is a die-hard Steelers fan. Getty“Then I talked to Mike Tomlin and I couldn’t hear him, right, cuz my damn family kept yelling. They was all drunk as hell,” Harris said. “So I was like ‘Ay calm down, I’m trying to hear him.’ … [The] Steelers hung up on me.”
Harris moved to a quieter area following the hilarious gaffe, where he was finally able to hear directly that he was being drafted.
The Alabama product produced a strong rookie season as Pittsburgh’s workhorse back, carrying the ball over 300 times for 1,200 yards while additionally breaking the Steelers’ single-season rookie record for receptions with 74.
With the departure of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger earlier this offseason, Pittsburgh will likely once again rely heavily upon Harris.
