“She's the reason why I am here”: DT Derrick Harmon owes his Pittsburgh Steelers 21st overall pick to his mother Tiffany Saine

On April 25, Mark Kaboly, Pittsburgh Steelers Correspondent on the Pat McAfee Show, shared on his X, “Derrick Harmon said his mother is on life support in the hospital and is heading over there now to tell her that her son got drafted by the Steelers.” An X user commented, “Heart breaking but speaks to a special kid we are getting.”

The former Oregon Ducks defensive lineman has become the current defensive tackle for the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Steelers shared on their official Instagram account, “With the 21st pick in the 2025 #NFLDraft, we select DT Derrick Harmon .” The IG post has over 75,000 likes. An IG user commented, “this actually is a great decision.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/DI2kpwrO4bT/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link https://www.instagram.com/p/DI2kpwrO4bT/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

“She’s the one that did everything for me to get to this point,” shares defensive tackle Derrick Harmon about his mother Tiffany Saine

Derrick Harmon’s journey to becoming the 21st overall pick by the Steelers was driven by the strength of his mom Tiffany ❤️ pic.twitter.com/rN4p5TavQq

— ESPN (@espn) April 25, 2025

Derrick Harmon shared with ESPN on April 25, 2025,

“My mom means everything to me. Her name is Tiffany Saine. That’s my rock. That’s my why. My freshman year at Michigan State, she ended up having a stroke, which left her paralyzed on her left side. It was kind of hard, but it’s something that we was used to as far as her health, because, just growing up, she had about eight brain surgeries.

I’m originally from Detroit, Michigan. So, I was probably 45 minutes away from home once when I went to Michigan State. It was very hard leaving and going to Oregon. It was probably the hardest decision I had to make. I sat down with my mom, and we had a discussion.

She told me every decision I made up to this point was for her, and it was time to make a decision for myself.

I carried that through the whole process of going 2000 miles away, all the way to Oregon. She’s the reason why I am here. She’s the one that did everything for me to get to this point. I love you, mom. Everything I do is for you. I’m forever grateful of you.”

Derrick Harmon on his mom: "She did not give up. She still took me to practice, still went to work. Always the back in my head from the beginning of my college career, was, why can't I keep going? If I'm tired, I'm injured, whatever it is, why can't I keep going, if she can..."

— Mike DeFabo (@MikeDeFabo) April 25, 2025

Derrick Harmon spoke about his mother with Mike DeFabo of The Athletic,

“She did not give up. She still took me to practice and still went to work. Always the back in my head from the beginning of my college career was, why can’t I keep going? If I’m tired, I’m injured, whatever it is, why can’t I keep going if she can.”

With the 21st pick in the 2025 #NFLDraft, we select DT Derrick Harmon. pic.twitter.com/34y9H5GqdH

— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) April 25, 2025

X users react to the emotional post of DT Derrick Harmon
“That’s a Steeler. I mean, not a Steelers WR post-Ward, but definitely a Steeler. Welcome Derrick and Tiffany!”

“Behind every draft day success is a story — and Derrick Harmon’s starts with Tiffany. That pick was built on love, grit, and everything she gave.”

“Steelers got a good one on and off the field. Gonna miss Harmon on that d line”

“Elite pick by Steelers. They dodged a major bullet with Sanders and got an elite player.”

“if my son turn out to be anywhere near that man’s quality i have won”

“That’s beautiful 🥺💪 His mom is his rock!”

Statement from Steelers President Art Rooney II: pic.twitter.com/AKDzDefoZU

— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) April 25, 2025

DT Derrick Harmon's mother, Tiffany Saine, passed away hours after her son was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers
On April 26, 2025, Pittsburgh Steelers President Art Rooney II released a statement informing everyone about the passing of DT Derrick Harmon's mother, Tiffany Saine. The statement read,

"Though we are excited to select Derrick in the first round of the NFL Draft, our hearts are heavy as we mourn the death of his mother, Tiffany Saine. We will support Derrick and his family however we can as he navigates this period of grief."

Tiffany Saine died hours after her son, DT Derrick Harmon, was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers.




Also Read: “Baby throwing up with motion sickness live on TV”: Kelvin Banks Jr. gets drafted to the New Orleans Saints but his son Khalil puked at that announcement | NFL News - The Times of India