2023 NFL Draft Profile: OT Anton Harrison

Oklahoma’s Anton Harrison is one of the best handful of offensive tackle prospects in the 2023 NFL Draft. From Washington D.C., Harrison was a four-star recruit out of high school and played a backup role during his freshman season at Oklahoma. Harrison was the Sooners’ full-time starter left tackle during his sophomore and junior seasons. He was named as a First-Team All-Big 12 member last season.

Strengths

Hand Technique: Perhaps Harrison’s best attribute is his ability to consistently win the hand fight against defenders. He does well to keep his hands inside his frame, and will counter and negate most push or pull-based pass rush moves. Harrison won’t often let rushers extend an arm into his chest, as he’ll quickly swipe or pull away the defenders hand. Harrison stays very patient in his pass sets. Sometimes this gets him into trouble, but usually this forces the defender to make the first move and allows him to neutralize that move.

Smooth, Methodical Footwork: Harrison never looks rushed in his pass sets, but he usually stays square and in phase with the pass rusher. He has the ability to move his feet quickly when necessary, but he plays at his own pace and only quickens his steps when he needs to. He almost never oversets and gives the rusher an inside lane to the quarterback, and has the athletic ability and length to keep up with an outside speed rush as well. Overall, Harrison is a skilled, patient pass protector.

Weaknesses

Tentativeness in Space: Harrison isn’t an elite athlete for the position, but he’s certainly fluid enough to get out in space on pulls and zone runs. The problem, though, is that he doesn’t pull with urgency and a clear plan, often soft-stepping towards his assignment and not finishing his block as he should. This issue is in keeping with an overall passivity that Harrision plays with, as he lacks the so-called “mean streak” that many prefer in their offensive linemen.

Shaky Anchor: As mentioned above, Harrison does a good job of keeping pass rushers away from his chest with strong hand technique. But when a rusher is able to get inside of Harrison, he struggles to maintain his balance. He can get pushed around a bit. In other words, if Harrision doesn’t win through technique, he lacks the core strength to hold up otherwise. This can lead to some ugly reps in which he’ll tossed aside or pushed back into the pocket.

Ideal Role

Left Tackle in a West Coast or Quick Passing Offense: Harrison has the physical and technical prowess to be an adequate pass protector in the NFL, at the very least. He may not be ideal for a team with a power-running identity. But for a quarterback-centric offense, he could be a reliable, pass-protecting tackle that starts for many years. Think David Bakhtiari of the Green Bay Packers.

Potential Fits

If Harrison goes in the back-half of the first round, a pass-first and tackle-needy team like the Buffalo Bills would make so much sense as a landing spot. If he slip into the second round, the Indianapolis Colts should covet a tackle like Harrison to help protect whichever quarterback they’re likely to take in the first round.

– Ryan Cuneo is the Managing Editor of Full Press Giants. He covers the New York Giants. Like and follow on Follow @ryan_cuneo Follow @FullPressGiants and Facebook.