From now until the 2023 NFL Draft, we will scout and create profiles for as many prospects as possible, examining their strengths, weaknesses, and what they can bring to an NFL franchise. These players could be potential top-10 picks, all the way down to Day 3 selections and priority undrafted free agents. Today, I’ll be profiling Oklahoma offensive tackle Anton Harrison.
#71 Anton Harrison, Oklahoma (Junior) — 6043, 315 Lbs.
Measurements
| Player | Ht/Wt | Hand Size | Arm Length | Wingspan |
| Anton Harrison | 6043, 315 | 9 1/4″ | 34 1/8″ | N/A |
| 40-Yard Dash | 10-Yard Dash | Short Shuttle | 3-Cone | |
| 4.98 | 1.77 | DNP | DNP | |
| Broad Jump | Vertical | Bench Press | ||
| 8’9″ | 28.5″ | DNP |
The Good
-Great size for the position with ideal length
-Mirrors very well in pass protection with sound footwork, loose hips
-Patient with his hands; often waits a tick longer to shoot hands in pass pro
-Flashes serious upper body torque; can really rag-doll guys
-Hand usage a real strength in pass pro; high-level hand combatant
-Fluid movement skills to redirect in pass sets
-An eraser on the edge in pass protection; just engulfs guys and wins consistently
-Good spatial awareness in the run game; good feel for when to peel off working duo to get free defender
-Shows ability to climb to second level and get a hat on a defender in space
The Bad
-Really needs to add functional strength
-Doesn’t displace or drive defenders off spot in run game
-Flashes upper body torque but that is far and few in between; often leans on stalemates in run game
-Hand usage lacks in run game; tends to slip off defenders
-Pass sets are inconsistent as far as depth and setting edge
-Plays with a high-pad level and is very susceptible to bull rushes; defenders get underneath him easily
Bio
-Played in 34 career games at Oklahoma, starting 25
-Skipped Cheez-It Bowl against Florida State to enter 2023 NFL Draft
-Allowed just one sack and no quarterback hits in 2022
-Named First-Team All-Big 12 by the Associated Press and the Big 12 coaches
-Started season opener at right tackle against UTEP in 2022 before flipping back to left tackle
-Former four-star prospect that chose Oklahoma over Boston College, Michigan, Ohio State, and Penn State
-Born and raised in the Washington, D.C. area
-Turned 21 years old in February
-Majored in Human Relations
Tape Breakdown
In nearly 450 pass-blocking snaps in 2022, Oklahoma left tackle Anton Harrison was nearly perfect, allowing just one sack for the Sooners.
Coming out of the Big 12, a pass-happy, spread formation league, that’s pretty impressive. Harrison is one of the best athletes at the position in the 2023 NFL Draft class and his tape is rather impressive, at least as a pass blocker.
With his impressive length (34 1/8″ arms), Harrison has the reach to handle all comers. He has great hand usage in pass protection, mirrors very well with light, clean footwork, and is truly an eraser on the edge. It helps that he has great spatial awareness.
Here against Baylor in 2022, Harrison does a great job of keeping his head on a swivel and getting his eyes on the delayed blitzer off the edge. He absorbs the contact without giving any ground, allowing the quarterback to get the pass off. It’s picked off, but it’s an impressive pass-pro rep from Harrison.
To be able to absorb any player running full speed at you without giving any ground from a standstill is eye-opening. Harrison is a brick wall in pass protection. He has a good base and really sits well into his hips.
When I talk about Harrison being patient with his hands, this is what I’m talking about.
He does a great job gaining depth and setting an edge against the Texas pass rusher. He never shoots his hands, instead forcing the pass rusher to make the first move. Once the Texas pass rusher does that, Harrison strikes quickly to the chest and gains control, winning the rep cleanly.
Often, young tackles want to shoot their hands quickly and get hands on the defender. But that can lead to over-aggressiveness and a loss in the rep. Harrison is advanced in this area of his game. He has such great belief and comfort in his ability to shoot his hands and win that he can wait until the last second and make sure he’s in the right position.
It’s quite impressive to watch.
Same thing here against Kansas State’s Felix Anudike-Uzomah last season. Remarkable pass set here.
Harrison does a great job waiting just a tick longer to shoot his hands, causing Anudike-Uzomah, one of the top EDGE prospect in the upcoming draft, to flash his hands. That gives Harrison just enough room to gain control inside, latch on and completely stall out the pass rush. He’s a real technician with his hands. Very advanced overall in that part of pass protection.
Harrison moves very well for his size. He tested rather well for his size, and it shows on tape.
He’s very comfortable in space and is under control when he’s asked to get on the move.
Really like this rep from him against Texas last season, getting out in front of the sweep. You can see the explosiveness in his lower body at the snap, opening his hips to turn and run in space. He tracks well on the move, too, and easily climbs to the defensive back and takes him out of the play.
In the run game, there’s a lot to be desired with Harrison.
That said, he certainly flashes a bit, especially with his upper body strength and torque.
The challenge for his position coach at the next level is fully tapping into that strength and nastiness on a down-by-down basis, especially in the run game.
It’s not normal to be able to chuck a defender like that to the side in the run game, but Harrison makes it look routine. There’s serious power he’s able to generate from his lower half and transition it to his upper half to toss the defender.
He has the finishing ability in his game; it just doesn’t show up enough in the run game.
The spatial awareness as a pass protector also shows up as a run blocker, too.
He’s very aware of his surroundings. He is sound at making adjustments mid-play to pick up free defenders where he can, creating a sliver of a lane in the run game — like he does here against Iowa State last season.
The play doesn’t go anywhere, but Harrison peeling off and getting the blitzing linebacker at least gives it a chance.
Having that spatial awareness and feel for when to peel off and get a hat on someone else is very underrated.
Conclusion
There’s a lot to like from Harrison, especially in pass protection. If you are aiming to run a pass-heavy offense and need a stalwart left tackle to keep your prized quarterback upright, Harrison is your guy. He’s still just 21 years old, doesn’t take penalties, rarely gets beat in pass protection and is advanced with his hand usage.
That all sounds great, but he’s a concern in the run game. He’s too inconsistent, slides off blocks too easily, doesn’t displace or drive defenders off the spot and really doesn’t make much of an impact in that area of his game. There are certainly some flashes of power and finishing ability as a run blocker in his game, but he has a lot of developing to do in that area.
Harrison is going to remind a lot of people of Buffalo Bills left tackle Dion Dawkins when the latter was coming out for the 2017 draft. Dawkins has made two Pro Bowls and been a key figure in the Bills’ offense. That’s largely what Harrison can be, and he’ll go higher than Dawkins (63rd overall in 2017) did. I don’t view Harrison as a Day One pick. Early Day Two, somewhere from 32-50, feels like his range, just based on his skills in pass protection.
Projection: Early Day 2
Depot Draft Grade: 8.2 (Future Quality Starter)
Games Watched: Oklahoma State (2021), Tulane (2021), Texas (2021), Baylor (2022), Texas (2022), Iowa State (2022), Nebraska (2022), Kansas State (2022)
