Zach Harrison NFL Draft Scouting Report

EDGE, Ohio State Buckeyes

A consensus five-star recruit, Zach Harrison has been a steady presence for the Ohio State Buckeyes defense across the last four seasons and improved steadily, playing his best football in his final season. 

Harrison offers an impressive blend of size, length, and explosiveness. His length is a notable asset to his game as he does well to play with extension to deploy his rush plan. That separation enables him to keep his hands active, creating soft angles for him to power through. Harrison has developed the ability to string together rush moves and execute counters. Even when Harrison is unable to get home, he affects the quarterback with his ability to get his hands into throwing lanes. He offers an immense tackle radius and effectively used his length to strip the football away from the quarterback. While Harrison won’t be confused as overly bendy, he does have the ability to corner the near hip of offensive tackles with how he flattens once he’s created the rush angle with his hand counters and length. Harrison has good block recognition skills and is a sufficient processor. I’m satisfied with his motor and effort on a snap-to-snap basis. Harrison is a physical specimen with incredible length, heavy hands, developing technique, and linear explosiveness—he promises to be a “bet on traits” guy.

When it comes to concerns, Harrison can be tardy off the ball and I want to see him maximize his physical gifts more consistently with better snap-anticipation skills and quicker responses overall. While Harrison can corner and flatten, he requires greased rush angles and battles through stiffness in his upper and lower body. There are frequent instances of him getting too far up the field, creating escaping lanes for the quarterback. Harrison has a tendency to play tall and offers significant surface area to his opponents. He is high-hipped, so playing with consistent leverage can be a struggle in addition to segmentation when changing directions. He has the tools to be a far more consistently impactful defender for the Buckeyes’ defense than he was. 

At a minimum, Harrison should be a featured piece of a quality NFL defensive line rotation with an exciting ceiling to develop into with the makeup of an impact starter if everything comes together. 

Top Reasons to Buy In:

• Length and stature
• Athletic profile
• Flashes of dominance 

Top Reasons For Concern:

• College underachiever
• Tightness
• Inconsistent play speed and recognition  

Size (NFL Combine):

Height: 6′ 5 1/2”

Weight: 274 lbs

Arm Length: 36 1/4”

Hand Size: 10”

Athletic Testing (NFL Combine):

40-yard Dash: 0.00s

Vertical Jump: 00”

Broad Jump: 000”

Short-Shuttle: 0.00s

Three-Cone: 0.00s

Bench Reps: 25 reps 

Ideal Role: Defensive end that can occasionally reduce inside 

Scheme Fit: Can see appeal in a penetration-style or gap-control defense  

Prospect Comparison: Yetur Gross-Matos (2020 NFL Draft) 

TDN Consensus Grade: 79.50/100 (Third-Round Value)

• Marino Grade: 79.50/100

Written By: Joe Marino

Exposures: Minnesota (2021), Michigan (2021), Nebraska (2021), Iowa (2022), Notre Dame (2022), Wisconsin (2022), Maryland (2022)

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