How Atlanta Falcons DL Zach Harrison Ate His Way to a New Position

From the coaching staff's plan to his offseason routine, how Atlanta Falcons defensive lineman Zach Harrison added nearly 20 pounds en route to a position change.

Atlanta Falcons defensive lineman Zach Harrison remade his body this offseason in preparation for a new position. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. -- When Atlanta Falcons defensive lineman Zach Harrison returned to Columbus, Ohio, for his summer training, he ate copious amounts of Chipotle and Greek-based Gyros -- with double meat and tzatziki sauce, he'll tell you.

But he didn't have a set number of meals he ate each day. Instead, he ate when he was hungry.

How often was that? Enough to change positions entering his second professional season on Atlanta's defensive line.

"He ate his way to a defensive end," Falcons outside linebacker Lorenzo Carter said, laughing. "But he's doing great, man."

Harrison was listed at 272 pounds on Atlanta's roster last season. He left Ohio State in the high 260-pound, low 270-pound range, and hung around that area as a rookie. The Falcons believe Harrison can play as light as 265 pounds.

But when Harrison began this year's training camp with the Falcons in late July, he weighed in at 289 pounds. The number on the scale had been months in the making.

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Shortly after being hired in late January, Falcons defensive line coach Jay Rodgers went through film on each of the players returning to his room. When he looked at the 6-foot-6 Harrison, Rodgers saw a player with height, length, athleticism and intelligence.

But Rodgers also saw a body he'd grown familiar with at prior coaching stops with the Denver Broncos, Chicago Bears and Los Angeles Chargers. He showed Harrison the blueprint, and Harrison bought in.

"I've had guys who look like you in the past," Rodgers told Harrison. "And they just trust the process and they turned out to be good players."

"You know what, coach? I'm all in," Harrison responded. "Whatever you think will help the team win the most, that's what I'm down to do."

The Falcons' front office was also involved in the decision -- assistant general manager Kyle Smith said Harrison has the frame to add weight, and any conversations about potential offseason weight change always centered around going heavier, not lighter.

So, Harrison ate, worked out, ate, worked out, and continued the process over and over again until the scale showed what he and the Falcons hoped. He tried to work out twice a day -- but there's a fine line, he said.

"It's an interesting balance, because if you want to, you can work out five times a day, but you've also got to keep in the back of your mind that the season's long," Harrison said. "Availability is your best ability.

"It's kind of a balance of, 'How do I get in the best shape possible, while also feeling great coming into Day 1 of camp?'"

Helping Harrison find the balance is nutritionist Steven Benjamin, who joined the organization in the summer of 2020. Benjamin tells each member of Atlanta's roster their ideal playing weight, a number reached by communication from the front office, coaching staff and player.

The parties reached a number. Harrison reached for a menu -- and always followed by reaching for weights.

"If you eat a lot and don't work out, you get fat," Harrison said. "So, just a lot of food, a lot of working out, making sure I'm running so I keep my movement skills as I get a little bigger."

The results, according to Falcons outside linebacker Arnold Ebiketie, are evident.

"I feel like he looks different than he did last year," Ebiketie said. "Way bigger now."

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Harrison, in his words, has always been a pretty big guy. He's bigger now. While at Ohio State and throughout his rookie season, he worked mostly as an edge player. He's inside now.

The root of the Falcons' interest in Harrison's weight gain adventure stems from first-year defensive coordinator Jimmy Lake's 3-4 defense. Last year, the Falcons ran a 4-3 base, which requires traditional defensive ends and large bodies on the end of the line of scrimmage -- hence Harrison's role outside.

Within Lake's system, outside linebackers Ebiketie, Carter and James Smith-Williams have dominated the snap share on the edge this summer -- and the Aug. 14 trade for New England Patriots pass rusher Matt Judon added another potent body.

As a result, Harrison was oversized and unnecessary as an edge player, and with his build proving capable of holding more weight, Atlanta believes he fits better as an interior defender in a 3-4 scheme.

"When you're dealing with a 4-3 and a 3-4 defensively, he's one of those guys that can go either way," Smith said. "It's all about finding a home for the player. Coach Morris, Coach Lake and Coach Rodgers, they have a vision for him, which is a little bit different than probably the vision we had last year."

That vision, Morris said, is for Harrison to play both inside and outside. The Falcons value his role flexibility and want to put Harrison in as many spots as possible where he can be as big and strong as possible.

Harrison's story is part of a broader organizational affinity for players who can line up at multiple spots and handle the demands of various roles, both mentally and physically.

But none have transformed their body quite the way Harrison has.

"Zach is one of those guys that can play inside, can play outside," Lake said. "We're working through those things in practice, and he's able to understand those calls. Now it's just continuing to improve his technique, understanding what we want out of him at all those positions."

Beyond learning how to play at his new size, Harrison is navigating through a steep mental adjustment as well. Rodgers said he and the staff give recommendations about what they feel will ultimately help the player's game -- such as adding weight -- but some curves are steeper than others.

"It's always a work in progress anytime you're changing positions a little bit," Rodgers said. "The blocks are a lot different; the rush angles are a lot different."

Another key difference is the weight across the ball Harrison now faces. Harrison will still see the same 300-pound offensive linemen he did a season ago, but instead of one, he may see two.

Hence the need for more weight to his build, Rodgers said.

"When you play three technique [defensive tackle], there's a possibility of a 700-pound double team," Rodgers said. "So, you've got to have some mass to you in order to anchor those things down. If you don't, then you have to have great technique.

"So, anytime an undersized guy plays a certain position, he can win his battles if he uses great technique. And then a 700-pound double team is real in this league."

Harrison added he feels powerful and believes the extra weight is helping him out. And while he's still learning the intricacies of life on the inside of NFL defensive lines, he feels confident his retooled body is fit for success -- both individually and for the team.

"It's definitely new," Harrison said. "I haven't really done much of it in the past, but ... versatility is huge. Being able to do everything just to help the team win. Wherever they put me, I'm just going to go hard, try to learn, get better just to help the team win."

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In the first 13 games of Harrison's rookie season, he had no sacks, no tackles for loss and one solemn quarterback hit. In the final three, he recorded three sacks, four tackles for loss and four quarterback hits before missing the season finale with a knee injury.

The ascent wasn't necessarily due to a sudden snap count increase. Instead, the light bulb finally turned on -- and Harrison flipped the switch to dim the lights of professional football.

"I was like, 'Go out there and just play football,'" Harrison said. "I kind of got in my head a little bit and was like just like, 'You know what, bro? Football's football, it's the same game I've been playing.' Just go out there and play my ass off, and the play is going to come to you."

Harrison's strong finish to the season didn't go unnoticed by Atlanta's new coaching staff. Morris views Harrison as a legitimate piece on the team's defensive line and is excited about what he brings.

The Falcons have stressed role clarity -- outlining the responsibilities and expectations for each player -- throughout the summer. For Harrison, Atlanta is attempting to put him in positions where we can impact the game as a disruptive piece inside.

It's a challenge Morris said Harrison has taken to heart and been able to do this offseason. All the while, maximizing Harrison's unique build and versatile skill set is as much a battle for the Falcons' defensive staff.

"He naturally is a big human that plays with an angry demeanor that gives you a lot of position flex as far as being inside, being in a three technique, being able to play on the edge," Morris said. "And you got to utilize those guys."

Morris added the Falcons have a plethora of defensive linemen who excite him, including Ta'Quon Graham. Smith-Williams noted the depth and variation within Atlanta's interior defensive line, dubbing it an impressive group that's fun to rush with.

The interior and exterior work together to generate pressure. Smith-Williams has had to learn what Harrison and defensive tackles Grady Jarrett and David Onyemata will do in their rushes so he can help maximize and work off their pass rushing attack.

And Smith-Williams, who played on a richly talented defensive line as a four-year member of the Washington Commanders, has liked what he's learned about Harrison over the past five months.

"Zach's a great player," Smith-Williams said. "He's amazing. He's so big and powerful."

Even with his new large number on the scale, Harrison still boasts the same skill set and mental wiring as he did when Smith, general manager Terry Fontenot and the rest of Atlanta's front office drafted him in the third round in 2023.

Ebiketie, a second-round pick in 2022, has watched Harrison's rise from the moment he entered the building for rookie minicamp onward. The result, Ebiketie noted, is steadfast belief in what Harrison may ultimately become.

"He's a great player, just for his size and being able to move the way he does," Ebiketie said. "Think the sky is the limit for him."

In a sense, Harrison is symbolic for a Falcons pass rush that took a step forward last season but is littered with questions entering Sunday's season opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Under Nielsen's guidance, Atlanta ranked No. 21 league-wide with 42 sacks. While unimpressive on the surface, that mark eclipsed the Falcons' total -- 39 -- from the previous two years combined.

But Atlanta lost each of its top two sack artists to free agency, as defensive end Calais Campbell (Miami Dolphins) and outside linebacker Bud Dupree (Los Angeles Chargers) signed elsewhere this offseason.

The addition of Judon, a four-time Pro Bowler who has 32 sacks in his last 38 games, helps quiet some concerns. Between Judon, Jarrett and Onyemata, the Falcons have three proven pressure players on their defensive front.

But still, doubts exist. Depth and outside pass rush beyond Judon remain suspect -- but not to Harrison.

"Slept on by who?" Harrison responded when asked about Atlanta's pass rush. "Because we have all the confidence in ourselves in this room. We know what we're capable of. We just got to put it on the grass. Last year was last year. Every year is a whole new calendar.

"This year, we've got a lot of good players in that room who want to go out and help the team win as best as possible. And that starts in all phases, stopping the run and getting to the quarterback."

Harrison is an important piece to completing that puzzle -- and it's a piece that's now more seasoned and nearly 20 pounds heavier than a year ago.

"It just goes back to the old adage: Bigger, faster, stronger," Morris said. "And he's certainly that."