Zach Harrison 'Coming Into His Own' as Falcons Bank on Upside in Draft

The Atlanta Falcons waited until the third-round of the 2023 NFL Draft to add a defensive end, selecting Ohio State's Zach Harrison, who's production didn't always match his talent ... but both he and the Falcons are optimistic he's trending in the right direction entering the professional level.

The story of defensive end Zach Harrison's career at Ohio State has already been written - but rather than the end of the book, it's simply a segway into the next chapter of his life with the Atlanta Falcons.

Harrison, who turns 22 in June, knows how his time in Columbus will be perceived.

Ranked as a five-star recruit and the nation's top defensive end out of Olentangy Orange High School in Lewis Central, Ohio, Harrison finished his four-year career with 25.5 tackles for loss and 13 sacks across 46 games, 27 of which were starts - certainly a stout career, but perhaps not what some expected.

But Harrison isn't bothered by the outside noise. Instead, he points to the growth he made both on and off the field ... and believes he's poised to realize his potential as a professional.

"Everybody has a different journey," Harrison said. "My process was just a little different. I hit my stride last season and it's what I plan to carry onto the next level."

As a senior, Harrison earned first team All-Big Ten honors for the first time, logging three and a half sacks and eight tackles for loss while reaching career highs with six quarterback hurries and three forced fumbles.

In each of the previous two years, Harrison was named second team All-Big Ten while accumulating 12.5 tackles for loss and six sacks across 19 games.

Thus, while not statistically exceptionally, Harrison played at a high level ... even if he, at No. 70 overall, wasn't drafted as highly as some of Ohio State's recent defensive ends, including No. 2 overall picks Nick Bosa (2019) and Chase Young (2020).

But Harrison's natural physical talents are clear - he's 6-6, tips the scales at 274 pounds, has 36-inch arms and ran a 4.60 40-yard dash.

It's these traits, in part, that made the Falcons fall in love with Harrison during the pre-draft process, culminating in a crucial workout that featured general manager Terry Fontenot, coach Arthur Smith, defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen and others.

This was "pretty much it" for the interaction phase between Atlanta's staff and Harrison, he said, but it was evidently a persuasive showing.

Nielsen was already quite familiar with Harrison upon arrival, but left the workout feeling confident he was the right guy, creating a positive first impression on Atlanta's new defensive coordinator.

"He plays hard, he plays tough," Nielsen said. "Really like how physical he plays. He's got great length, uses his hands really well, keeps blockers off of him. The motor is what stood out the most - running to the football, the toughness, getting off blocks, fighting to get to the ball, and that excites you when you watch him."

Nielsen acknowledged there's some things in Harrison's game the Falcons are "going to develop" and change, but he and the rest of the staff feel confident that the lofty ceiling will be reached.

A key reason for this, per Smith, is the environment that's been built on the Falcons' defensive front, as the team signed veterans Calais Campbell, Bud Dupree and David Onyemata to pair with Grady Jarrett and Lorenzo Carter as experienced presences and strong voices.

Add in the faith Smith has in Nielsen, defensive line coach Lanier Goethie and defensive assistant Dave Huxtable, and there's plenty of belief inside Atlanta's building that Harrison will be developed the right way.

There's also the element that the Falcons feel Harrison played the best ball of his career down the stretch in 2022, giving Smith and staff an indication that things are starting to click and there's a good mix of ingredients to work with.

"Length, clearly he was a big recruit coming out of Ohio State, obviously coming into his own, still pretty young," Smith said. "There's not the pressure on him right away - we've got some good veterans in there on the edge to help him. He can give you a little interior pass rush, too.

"But that's a good room for a young guy walking into, with Calais, Bud, Zo, Grady and David."

At Ohio State, Harrison played in a variety of alignments and saw time as both a hand-in-the-dirt and standing-up edge defender. His size and skill set should give him a chance to do the same in Atlanta, he feels.

"I feel like I can do it all," Harrison said. "I can play all down the line of scrimmage; I'm fast enough to play on the edge but big enough, strong enough to play inside."

Nielsen had a lot of success with bigger-bodied ends while serving as the New Orleans Saints' defensive line coach - just consider Cameron Jordan and Trey Hendrickson, among others.

Lauded for his ability to develop talent, Nielsen has a player in Harrison who has the traits to vastly outplay his draft position ... and already believes he has a good baseline to work with.

"The No. 1 way to win in the league is with power, and he has power," Nielsen said. "So, we're getting a guy that, he does a lot of good things, there's some other things we're going to develop and give him a change, but coming in right now, you know he's going to play with power - it's a really good combination. We're excited about the pick."

Another who's "excited" is Harrison, who enjoyed the opportunity to interact directly with Nielsen during the workout.

Being able to see exactly how his new defensive coordinator operates has helped Harrison set expectations while providing a sense of comfort entering unfamiliar territory.

But perhaps most importantly, Harrison concurs with the staff and feels that Nielsen is the exact coach to draw the best out of him, giving a glowing endorsement of the 44-year-old former professional defensive tackle.

"He's definitely a 'to-the-point' kind of guy, he's going to tell you what he wants, and he expects it to happen," Harrison said. "That's kind of perfect for me - just tell me what the corrections are and I'll do my best to go fix them. I feel like it's a good merging of personalities."

Harrison believes he comes with a well-rounded skill set, noting that stopping the run is all about "want-to," which he has, and he's just now "hitting (his) stride" as a pass rusher.

But Atlanta's vision isn't necessarily to use Harrison in a role that shows all of his attributes - not yet, anyway. There is, however, a plan in place for his future.

Smith pointed to Campbell, who's played in a variety of schemes and alignments throughout his 15-year playing career. Naturally, Harrison won't get that much on his plate too early, but there's belief inside the organization that he can grow into that role over time.

"He's a smart guy and eventually as his game evolves, we can play him in multiple spots," Smith said. "But just early on, you'll see a lot of early downs and develop him on the edge. If he continues to work and has success, his game can expand." 

That's certainly an important "if" from Smith - and should Harrison not take the step that's expected, it's possible the Falcons will look back at his tenure feeling similarly to the way some do with his Buckeyes career.

But at this point, nothing's been written; it's a blank slate for Harrison and another opportunity to prove exactly who he is - and he's ready for it.

"The Falcons took a chance on me, and they're going to get everything I got," Harrison said.

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You can follow Daniel Flick on Twitter @DFlickDraft

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