Steelers coaches praise punter Pressley Harvin III for improvement in 2nd year

Not out of character, Danny Smith snapped. There might have even been a characteristic profanity at one point when the Pittsburgh Steelers special teams coordinator recently was asked a question by a media member that referenced punter Pressley Harvin III’s inconsistency.

“Oh, no, no — he don’t look inconsistent,” Smith said. “His net (punting average) is excellent. His return yardage is just way down.

“He looks outstanding.”

While “outstanding” maybe goes a little too far, Harvin does appear improved in his second year in the NFL after being the lone punter drafted in 2021. And Harvin’s performance in the Steelers’ most recent game, Nov. 20 against the Cincinnati Bengals, arguably was the most “outstanding” of his career.

Harvin had punts of 56, 48 and 54 yards from deep in Steelers territory. What was more, well, outstanding, were a pair of boots that originated with a fourth down on the Cincinnati side of the field during the fourth quarter. Harvin pinned the Bengals inside their 10 each time.

“He’s not hitting touchbacks,” long snapper Christian Kuntz said of Harvin. “He’s unbelievable at hitting pooch punts.”

Only five of Harvin’s 126 career NFL punts (including playoffs) have gone for touchbacks. That has helped Harvin’s net average and come in handy for a team with offensive struggles.

After ranking 33rd in net average as a rookie in 2021, Harvin is up to 15th this season (41.4). He entered Week 12 tied for the NFL lead in fair catches induced (18). Only two of Harvin’s punts have gone as touchbacks, and not one has been blocked or returned for a touchdown.

Some might view those as baby steps for a player who won the Ray Guy Award as college football’s best punter and in whom the Steelers invested a draft pick. But, at very least, it’s showing progress.

“Pressley’s doing a good job in Year 2 of really growing in all areas,” coach Mike Tomlin said, “and checking the boxes that we need him to check in terms of being a positive contributor to our efforts.”

Harvin beat out seven-year incumbent Jordan Berry during his rookie training camp, then kept his job despite a strong fill-in showing by Corliss Waitman for two late-season games last season when Harvin was on bereavement leave. Harvin fended off Cameron Nizialek during a camp position battle this past summer, too.

It’s clear by now that Harvin has the important people — Smith and Tomlin — on his side, believing in him as a punter with high-end NFL skills.

“Danny was a lot harder on me last year than this year, I guess I could say,” Harvin said with a laugh this past week. “But we are all on the same page now, and I know what the expectations are after being here for the last year and a half.”

A unanimous All America honoree who led the nation in punting average as a college senior in 2020, Harvin joined the Steelers with an impressive resume and with the requisite confidence he could succeed at the NFL level. But to hear Harvin tell it, a year in the pros added a level of comfort as much as it fine-tuned the muscle memory of his craft.

“After you get that foot in the door, for me for last year, the biggest thing that’s been helping is that every single time I get in a stadium, I feel more and more confident,” Harvin said. “I feel more like myself, and it’s not the whole, like, ‘Aw, man, I have been waiting my whole life to get here.’

“I’m taking it all in, but at the same time, the games are starting to feel better, starting to feel a lot more easy.”

Hey, Steelers Nation, get the latest news about the Pittsburgh Steelers here.