Zach Harrison NFL Draft 2023: Scouting Report for Ohio State DL

HEIGHT: 6'5.5"

WEIGHT: 274

HAND: 36 1/4"

ARM: 10"

WINGSPAN: TBD

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40-YARD DASH: TBD

3-CONE: 7.33

SHUTTLE: 4.66

VERTICAL: 34.5"

BROAD: 10'3"

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POSITIVES

— Good size for an NFL defensive end.

— Physical and strong at the point of attack. Gets extension easily against offensive tackles.

— Takes on blocks with a wide base and uses his upper-body strength to get a leverage advantage. Hard to move one-on-one as a run defender.

— Displays good footwork when slanting to throw off the blocker's angle and finishes with a strong rip to get penetration.

— Has the strength to close the gap with tight ends or smaller offensive tackles.

— Can make tackles with blockers hanging onto him.

— Sets up his pass-rush moves well by getting to square on the offensive linemen during the stem phase of the rush.

— Excellent use of hands as a pass-rusher. Works the tackle's hands well to win around the edge.

— Has a handful of outside moves he can win with: double swipe, swim, dip-rip and cross chop.

— Solid at collapsing the pocket with a bull rush or one-arm stab move. Strong enough to push through a weak inside shoulder from an offensive tackle.

— Gets his hands up if he doesn't hit home and has good hand-eye coordination to bat passes at the line of scrimmage.

— Hustle player who will get coverage sacks and factor into gang tackles down the field.

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NEGATIVES

— Not a good athlete overall. Is kind of a robotic mover, especially as a pass-rusher.

— Is late to react to the snap and doesn't have the quickness to make up for it on his get-off.

— Stands up out of his stance and has subpar knee bend. Too reliant on his hands and upper-body strength to get a leverage advantage.

— Hand placement is a little wide versus the run. Runs the risk of giving up his chest.

— Has a habit of losing ground to shed blocks.

— Not explosive off the ball to be able to win with speed as a pass-rusher in the NFL.

— Doesn't have an inside counter to keep offensive tackles honest, primarily because he isn't twitchy enough to develop a good inside stick move.

— Ankles are stiff. Lacks the bend to turn a tight corner around the edge and take an efficient path to the quarterback.

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2022 STATISTICS

— 13 GM, 34 TOT, 8 TFL, 3.5 SK, 3 FF, 5 PBU, 1 INT

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NOTES

— DOB: August 14, 2001

— A 5-star recruit in the 2019 class, No. 12 overall, No. 2 SDE, per 247Sports' composite rankings

— Injuries: 2021 (Undisclosed, missed 1 game)

— 28 career starts

— 2022 Honors: First-Team All-Big Ten

— 2021 Honors: Team captain, Second-Team All-Big Ten (media), Third-Team All-Big Ten (coaches)

— 2020 Honors: Second-Team All-Big Ten (coaches), OSU Scholar-Athlete, selected a representative on the Big Ten's Anti-Hate and Anti-Racism Coalition

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OVERALL

There aren't many flaws to Zach Harrison's game. He's as strong as a bull, can easily lock out offensive tackles against the run and has plenty of ways to win around the edge as a pass-rusher. He also has good technique across the board, but he does leave a little something to be desired.

The word "solid" kept coming up for me when watching Harrison's tape. He's a player you can win with, but he probably won't be a guy you win because of. In other words, he'll make some plays against average to below-average competition, but expecting him to be a perpetual Pro Bowler would be a lofty goal.

However, Harrison's use of his hands as a pass-rusher is exceptional. He's constantly swiping at the offensive tackle's hands and is accurate to "defeat the hands, defeat the man" and start off his moves. However, he's stiff and lacks the bend to turn tight corners and capitalize.

The combine is going to be important for Harrison. He didn't show a ton of athletic potential on the field, but he could ease concerns with some good testing numbers. Because of that, he'd be best as a 4i- to 5-technique defensive end in a system that primarily uses even fronts.

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GRADE: 7.3 (High-Level Backup/Potential Starter, 3rd Round)

OVERALL RANK: 66

POSITION RANK: DL8

PRO COMPARISON: Denico Autry

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Written by B/R NFL Draft Scout Matt Holder