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Former NFL Scout Says Oklahoma OT Anton Harrison is 'In the Mold of Trent Williams'

Daniel Kelly projects Harrison as a first-round pick, which would likely make him the Sooners' first selection in the 2023 NFL Draft.

John E. Hoover

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Oklahoma offensive tackle Anton Harrison’s NFL stock is gaining momentum.

According to former NFL scout Daniel Kelly, Harrison can expect to be taken in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft.

Kelly, editor-in-chief for FirstRoundMock.com, and a former scout with the Jets where he worked under Bill Parcells, Bill Belichick and others, writes that Harrison’s play in 2022 is “about as close to textbook as there is,” in his post about the former Sooner this week.

Kelly even went so far as to compare the 6-foot-5, 315-pound Harrison to former Sooner and multiple NFL All-Pro Trent Williams.

“The Oklahoma big man displays elite raw weight room power, athleticism and technique to put on a show, on the left side” in pass protection, Kelly writes.

Meanwhile, “run blocking is where Harrison’s nastiness comes out even more. … Harrison plays with an edge.”

Kelly says Harrison is “the ideal pick” for the Jets at No. 13 in the first round, but hasn’t settled on where he’s projecting him.

“Looks and plays smart,” Kelly writes. “Blocks like he means it every snap.”

NFL.com projects Harrison will go No. 49 overall to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Round 2, while CBS Sports has him in the first round to the San Diego Chargers at No. 21 overall, and Tankathon.com places him in the first round to the Kansas City Chiefs at No. 32 overall.

The NFL Scouting Combine opens Feb. 28 and runs through March 5 in Indianapolis. Offensive linemen will work out for teams on the closing day, March 5.

Harrison is one of seven players Oklahoma is sending to the combine this year. He’ll join running back Eric Gray, wide receiver Marvin Mims, tight end Brayden Willis, offensive tackle Wanya Morris, defensive lineman Jalen Redmond and punter Michael Turk. 

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John E. Hoover
JOHN E. HOOVER

John is an award-winning journalist whose work spans five decades in Oklahoma, with multiple state, regional and national awards as a sportswriter at various newspapers. During his newspaper career, John covered the Dallas Cowboys, the Kansas City Chiefs, the Oklahoma Sooners, the Oklahoma State Cowboys, the Arkansas Razorbacks and much more. In 2016, John changed careers, migrating into radio and launching a YouTube channel, and has built a successful independent media company, DanCam Media. From there, John has written under the banners of Sporting News, Sports Illustrated, Fan Nation and a handful of local and national magazines while hosting daily sports talk radio shows in Oklahoma City, Tulsa and statewide. John has also spoken on Capitol Hill in Oklahoma City in a successful effort to put more certified athletic trainers in Oklahoma public high schools. Among the dozens of awards he has won, John most cherishes his national "Beat Writer of the Year" from the Associated Press Sports Editors, Oklahoma's "Best Sports Column" from the Society of Professional Journalists, and Two "Excellence in Sports Medicine Reporting" Awards from the National Athletic Trainers Association. John holds a bachelor's degree in Mass Communications from East Central University in Ada, OK. Born and raised in North Pole, Alaska, John played football and wrote for the school paper at Ada High School in Ada, OK. He enjoys books, movies and travel, and lives in Broken Arrow, OK, with his wife and two kids.

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