Welcome to the 24th daily installment of the NFL Draft 1-through-32 series on DK Pittsburgh Sports, intended to introduce you, a prospect at a time, to the top 32 players in the class on a consensus basis, leading right up to the main event.
That, of course, will be April 27-29, in Kansas City, Mo., though all 32 teams, including the Steelers on the South Side, will operate from their local headquarters.
NO. 24: ANTON HARRISON
Oklahoma offensive tackle
Harrison is the No. 24-rated player on Pro Football Focus' big board. Lauded for his footwork and mobility for his size, Harrison allowed only nine pressures on 447 pass-blocking snaps in 2022.
COLLEGE BACKGROUND
The All-Big 12 first-team selection in 2022 played in all-but one game at left tackle over his last two seasons at Oklahoma, with the exception being his opting out of the Cheez-It Bowl Dec. 29.
He played in all-but two games of his freshman season in 2020. According to PFF, he allowed one sack on 173 pass-blocking plays that season.
The Washington, D.C., native was a consensus four-star recruit out of high school in the class of 2020, according to 247Sports. He held 23 offers, including from Pitt and Penn State. He earned positive marks for his athleticism as a high school prospect, but his technical skill needed work. He earned a prospect comparison to then-Chicago lineman Charles Leno.
NFL COMBINE, PRO DAY
Harrison clearly worked on that technical skill, and he measured at 6-foot-5 and 315 pounds at the NFL Combine -- five pounds heavier than his high school weight from three years prior. He measured with a 34 1/8-inch arm length and a 9 1/4-inch hand width.
Harrison ran a 4.98 40-yard dash and jumped to a 28.5-inch vertical and a 8-foot-9 broad jump at the Combine. Those numbers, among Combine offensive linemen, ranked second, 25th, and tied for 23rd, respectively. Out of the Combine, he earned an NFL comparison to Buffalo tackle Dion Dawkins by NFL analyst Lance Zierlein.
Harrison benched 24 reps and ran a 4.93 shuttle at his pro day. That bench press result would have been 14 off the pace among Combine OL set by USC guard Andrew Vorhees, and it would have ranked at a tie for eighth among Combine offensive tackles.
#OU OT Anton Harrison moving at pro day. pic.twitter.com/2YwXuUwmpV
— Bob Przybylo (@BPrzybylo) March 30, 2023
MOCK DRAFT
The USA Today mock draft consensus tracker has Harrison going at No. 29 overall to New Orleans, with an average draft slotting at 27.33. Our own latest mock draft has Harrison as options for the Steelers at pick Nos. 17 and 32.
THE HIGHLIGHTS
THE STEELERS' STANDPOINT
The Steelers hosted Harrison for a visit April 5. Left tackle is certainly on the Steelers' draft check list with Dan Moore, Chukwuma Okorafor, and Le'Raven Clark as the current tackles listed on the depth chart.
COREY'S TAKE
While he isn't Peter Skoronski, Paris Johnson Jr., or Darnell Wright, Harrison likely slots in a fourth among them for reason. That said, though, he is right at the top of that next echelon of his position with the framework and mobility desired for an NFL left tackle. Harrison makes sense for the Steelers, but if one of those three are there at No. 17, I would prefer them over Harrison. If he is there for the start of Day 2 and the Steelers don't go with a tackle at No. 17, then look at Harrison as an option to kick off the Friday of draft weekend.
THE REST
1. Alabama QB Bryce Young
2. Georgia DT Jalen Carter
3. Alabama DE Will Anderson Jr.
4. Kentucky QB Will Levis
5. Ohio State QB C.J. Stroud
6. Florida QB Anthony Richardson
7. Illinois CB Devon Witherspoon
8. Texas Tech DE Tyree Wilson
9. TCU WR Quentin Johnston
10. Oregon CB Christian Gonzalez
11. Northwestern OT Peter Skoronski
12. Ohio State WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba
13. Pitt DT Calijah Kancey
14. Iowa DE Lukas Van Ness
15. Utah TE Dalton Kincaid
16. Maryland CB Deonte Banks
17. Alabama S Brian Branch
18. Penn State CB Joey Porter Jr.
19. Ohio State OT Paris Johnson Jr.
20. Tennessee OT Darnell Wright
21. Clemson DT Bryan Bresee
22. Georgia DE Nolan Smith
23. Clemson DE Myles Murphy
