8. Malik Harrison, Ohio State
Height: 6’2″ Weight: 247
40-Yard Dash: 4.66 seconds
Bench Press: N/A
Vertical Jump: 36 inches
Broad Jump: 10 feet 2 inches
3-Cone Drill: 6.83 seconds
20-Yard Shuttle: 4.32 seconds
60-Yard Shuttle: N/A
Bio: In his prep days, Malik Harrison was a quarterback, safety and punter for Walnut Ridge High School. He threw for 1,161 yards and eight touchdowns his senior year in 2015. He was also a standout on the hardwood, averaging a double-double for the school’s basketball team. A three-star recruit, Harrison committed to Ohio State in February of 2016.
He played as a rotational player as a true sophomore during the 2017 season, and took over a starting role in 2018. That year Harrison tallied 59 total tackles and a career-high 865 snaps. Last year was his most productive season, as he registered 62 total tackles.
Stat to Know: Ohio State loved to use him as a blitzer. Over the past few seasons Harrison generated 38 pressures on 168 pass rushing opportunities, according to charting data from Pro Football Focus.
Strengths: Harrison is the first of the “throwback” style of linebackers in this draft class. While others do most of their work in space or rely heavily on athleticism, the Ohio State product is reminiscent of the two-down thumpers of yesteryear. He displays solid power at the point of attack, against both gap/power designs and zone blocking schemes. He plays through lead blockers, forces ball-carriers to cut behind the line of scrimmage, and seems to pride himself on stopping the run.
Playing downhill is when he is at his best. He has the power to stand up offensive linemen in the hole, scrape off of them and make the tackle.
In pass coverage, Harrison is best utilized in underneath zones rather than in man coverage. On third down situations the Buckeyes would often let him spy or freelance underneath, and as the numbers illustrate he can generate pressure as a blitzer. He displays good hand usage when rushing the passer, with a few chop or swat type of moves he can engage blockers with.
Weaknesses: For the modern NFL, Harrison might not be the best fit. He is not the most athletic linebacker of the group – although his testing at the Combine was better than expected given his size – but his lateral movement skills and change-of-direction ability on film are lacking. He is an aggressive, downhill-minded player who wants to attack the line of scrimmage first, which leaves him susceptible to play-action designs. Harrison lacks the patience of a player like Troy Dye, and tends to react first, think second. He is not a player you want handling a lot of man coverage responsibilities. This adds up to a player that might have to come off the field on third down and/or in passing situations, and those players tend to wait to hear their name called on draft night.
Conclusion: Ten or fifteen years ago, Harrison might be LB1. In today’s game, he might be a Day Three pick. The game has changed and players with his mentality and skill-set are not valued as highly as more athletic linebackers who can run with tight ends, play man coverage and stay on the field on third down or in sub packages. However, the fact that NFL teams are still run by people who value stopping the run, playing physical on defense and “imposing their will” means that Harrison is not exactly out of luck. The ability to play downhill, blow up a lead blocker and stop the run is a trait some will still value. There will be some that value what he brings to the table, and as such he’ll get a shot.
Comparison: Harrison reminds me of a young Dont’a Hightower. A player who is at his best working downhill against the run and attacking the passer as a rusher. When the opposing QB drops to pass it is best if he is used as a spy or in an underneath zone. Sure, Hightower was picked in the first round of the 2012 NFL draft, but a lot has changed since then.