Zach Harrison came into Ohio State with huge expectations that just haven’t really been met yet. He has good tools, and has reportedly tested well while at Ohio State. However, his game-to-game consistency is streaky at best. Harrison’s best plays, for the most part, stemmed from broken assignments or plays where he was unblocked. Otherwise, Harrison failed to create often enough to generate big play opportunities for his defense.

HT: 6051
WT: 271
Year: Super Junior
High School: Olentangy Orange (Lewis Center, OH)
Rating: 5-star (0.9933)

Zach Harrison scouting notes

Pros:

• Doesn’t have great speed. Has reportedly been clocked in the forty-yard dash at 4.47 seconds, but I don’t see that at all on tape. Good athlete, not great. 
• Flashes some solid explosion. 
• Very strong upper body. Does have a tendency to get locked into blocks, but that’s more of a hands issue than it is an upper body strength issue. 
• Flashes good bend, but tends to be too wide with his circle. 
• Excellent hand strength. 
• Good tackler, shows some decent ability as a run defender. Would like to see him work on developing a cleaner tackling form. 
• Solid defender in space in the flats. Cheats much too far inside when playing contain. Has shown the ability to play the option as the read defender decently well.
• Solid pursuit defender. Can make plays on the boundary and up to the sideline. 
• Motor is good. Chases play to the boundary, stays in position when the play is on his side of the field.
• Smart, heady player. Knows when to put in effort and when it’s pointless. 

Cons:

• Average lateral quickness. 
• I don’t see a lot of body control from Harrison. 
• First step is really average. 
• Doesn’t have much brute to his game. 
• Hand usage is raw and underdeveloped. Needs to find a way to use his hands better and utilize that incredible length that he has. Even struggles to get off of tight ends.
• Placement is bad from the get go. Has no real plan going into a rep.