NFL Draft: Falcons 'Gravitate' Towards Ohio State Captain Zach Harrison

Zach Harrison was voted as a team captain for the Ohio State Buckeyes as a junior. Now, he brings his leadership to the Atlanta Falcons.

Jeremy Brener | Apr 28, 2023

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Atlanta Falcons

The Atlanta Falcons filled one of their biggest needs going into the NFL Draft in the third round on Friday, taking Ohio State pass rusher Zach Harrison with the No. 75 overall pick.

Harrison was popular among his teammates in Columbus, who voted him as a captain in his junior season. Harrison's journey at Ohio State is reflective of what the Falcons want to build in Atlanta.

"Guys are gonna gravitate toward me just because of my hard work and my personality," Harrison said. "And then when we’re on the field, a guy that’s gonna make plays, like TFLs, and change the game.”

Those are players the Falcons are looking for. Texas coach Steve Sarkisian called first-round pick Bijan Robinson "captain-worthy," while second-round pick Matthew Bergeron and Harrison were both captains at Syracuse and Ohio State, respectively.

That's maybe part of why the Falcons were impressed by Harrison even though he didn't participate in on-field drills at the combine after a hamstring injury.

“I'm so excited about the player that I am today, and knowing that I have so much to work on and being in this position where I’m at right now, just being at the combine and being one of the top guys of the defensive line class, and knowing I have so much room to improve," Harrison said at the Combine. "And I hope that I get to tap into that.”

Now, he'll get to tap into that as the newest member of the Falcons.

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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.