With their final pick in the 2024 NFL draft, the Tennessee Titans took Michigan edge rusher Jaylen Harrell with the No. 252 overall pick in the seventh round.
Harrell is the son of former Detroit Lions linebacker James Harrell, who had a lengthy NFL career that spanned eight seasons, seven with the Lions and one with the Kansas City Chiefs.
But, unlike his son, James was not drafted into the NFL.
“My pops, he was undrafted, you feel me?,” Harrell said. “So, he had that killer mindset, that ‘They have to take it from me.’ Just getting that mindset instilled in me at such a young age, just being able to get drafted.”
While that’s all well and good, the more important thing is for Harrell to actually stick in the NFL, something he’ll try to do throughout the offseason.
“I know there’s still so much work to do,” Harrell said. “But I am ready to put my best foot forward and get to work.”
As far as what we can expect from the Michigan product, he describes himself as a “high-effort, high-motor guy,” who brings “a lot of versatility.”
“I can rush the passer, set the edge, and get after the quarterback,” he said. “Whatever this team wants me to do, I’ll do. I can play end, I can play outside linebacker, I can drop in coverage. So, whatever the team’s vision is for me, I’m ready to do it, and I’ll do it 100 percent.”