College Football

Franco Harris honored by NFL, announces Steelers draft pick

Franco Harris honored by NFL, announces Steelers draft pick

Penn State legend Franco Harris was a special guest at the 2022 NFL draft in Las Vegas as the three-day draft event opened on Thursday night. The Pittsburgh Steelers hall of fame was recognized by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell for the 50th anniversary of one of the league’s best plays of all time, The Immaculate Reception. But Harris got to be involved in what was actually one of the first round’s more heartwarming moments.

The Steelers used their first-round pick to select Pitt quarterback Kenny Pickett, and Harris was the one who got to make the announcement for the Steelers.

You have to respect the tweet put out by the Pitt football account, with a nice little wink for Franco…

Harris got an early look at the draft card before going live on the stage, and his reaction was one of some surprise, so it seemed.

Pickett will be staying close to home after a breakout season with the Pitt Panthers in 2021 helped lead Pitt to its first ACC championship. From the hometown perspective, Pickett seems like a home run draft pick for many in the Pittsburgh area.

Pickett was the only quarterback selected in the first round, and he had to wait until the 20th pick to be called. It’s rare to see any quarterback to wait that long in an NFL draft these days, but a mix of the quality of the overall QB class and the needs of teams drafting just didn’t align well for Pickett to go any higher. But perhaps this was just what he wanted anyway.

Of course, the irony of the NFL honoring Franco Harris and The Immaculate Reception in the home city of the Raiders was not lost on many.

Franco Harris probably enjoyed watching the NFL draft a few picks earlier as he watched Penn State wide receiver Jahan Dotson go No. 16 overall to the Washington Commanders.

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