NFL Draft: Falcons Address Pass Rush, Take Ohio State EDGE Zach Harrison

The Atlanta Falcons now have a rookie pass rusher in Zach Harrison from Ohio State.

Jeremy Brener | Apr 28, 2023

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Atlanta Falcons

The Atlanta Falcons are continuing to build their 2023 NFL Draft class.

After taking running back Bijan Robinson in the first round and offensive lineman Matthew Bergeron in the second, the Falcons opted to switch things up and take their first defensive player in Ohio State pass rusher Zach Harrison.

The Falcons needed to address the pass rush at some point this weekend, and they do so by taking Harrison with the No. 75 overall pick in the draft.

"Zach Harrison is a very raw player that is currently on an upward trajectory in terms of his performance and development as a defensive end," SI Draft Bible writes. "His struggles with power and leverage will limit him, but he has tremendous upside as a pass rusher because of his length and improving get-off."

Harrison joins Arnold Ebiketie, Troy Andersen and DeAngelo Malone from last year's class as front seven pieces taken on Day 2. New defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen gets his guy to help rush the passer alongside free agent acquisitions David Onyemata, Calais Campbell and Bud Dupree.

The Falcons are back on the clock with pick No. 113 towards the top of the fourth round when the draft resumes tomorrow at 12 p.m. on ESPN, ABC and NFL Network.

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Published Apr 28, 2023

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.