3. Malik Harrison, Ohio State 6-3, 246 (3)
Why He’s Here On The List: Chase Young got most the national love from the Ohio State defense, and Jeff Okudah got the rest. Harrison deserved to be right there in the discussion of top Buckeye defenders this year.
He’s big, he can get into the backfield, and he makes a whole lot of tackles. There might be a few tweaks to be made in his overall style – he’s not great in pass coverage and he needs to be a bit more read-and-react – but that’s nitpicking.
What The NFL Types Want To See: How smooth is he? Among the top three inside linebackers, Kenneth Murray and Patrick Queen are going to fly though everything and look like defensive backs. Harrison won’t be as good-looking as those two, but he can’t be terribly far off.
Bottom Line: There are better shot-for-the-stars prospects in the mix, but Harrison has the best overall combination of size, athleticism, and experience. He might not be the perfect prospect, and his timed speed is going to matter, but he’ll make come up with a whole lot of stats no matter what the system.