"Love you till the wheels falls off" - Derrick Harmon penned emotional message to his mother hours before she died after watching her son get drafted

Former Oregon defensive tackle Derrick Harmon had his NFL dreams come true as the Pittsburgh Steelers selected him as the 21st overall pick. However, what was probably one of the biggest nights of his life turned into a tragic one as his mother, Tiffany Saine, died shortly after hearing the big news.

After the Steelers picked him, Harmon told the press that he was going to meet his mom, who was on life support, after the draft festivities.

"A blessing, a blessing, truly a blessing," Harmon said on a call after the Steelers drafted him. "She's at the hospital right now on life support, so that was a little bittersweet because she worked as hard just as me to get to this moment.

"It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I'm very excited. After I get off the phone with you guys, I'm going to head straight to the hospital and tell her that her son got drafted," the new Steelers DT added.

Harmon referred to his mom as his rock in a heartfelt segment on ESPN. He further talked about her stroke that left her paralyzed, followed by "about eight brain surgeries", which made things extremely hard for them. He later paid tribute to his mom via an Instagram story after the draft with an old picture of her and wrote:

"This is all for you!! And I'm do what you told me I can do a long time ago. I love you till the wheels fall off!!!"

How does Derrick Harmon fit with the Steelers' defense?

Derrick Harmon spent three years at Michigan State and then transferred to Oregon in 2024. He is a 21-year-old, 6-foot-4, 313-pound defensive lineman who has the characteristics to take the Steelers' defense to the next level.

During his time at Oregon, Derrick Harmon secured 45 tackles, consisting of 10.5 for a loss, five sacks, four pass breakups, and a couple of forced fumbles. Harmon will replace Larry Ogunjobi, released this offseason, as the defensive end for the Steelers.

"He plays like a Raven or a Steeler. Off the tape, he reminds me of a young Cam Heyward but bigger," draft analyst Lance Zeirlein shared an NFL executive's words for Harmon ahead of the 2025 NFL draft.