Know your Chiefs draft crush Part 2; Derrick Harmon
Our annual series continues as we look at the talented DT out of Oregon
It’s that time of the year again. The time we peer into our crystal balls and gaze into the stars to ascertain the future. That’s right, it’s draft season! And that means it’s time to dust off our yearly “know your Chiefs draft crush” series.
For some analysts, draft season is all year long. My colleagues at KC Sports Network do some of the very best work in the business, with a Chiefs-centric draft guide that is available now (this is one that all of you should purchase if you haven’t already). Danny Kelly with The Ringer has a terrific big board that he works on every year. My good friend Ryan Tracy has one of the best athletic matrix-based draft guides you’ll ever find. And of course, industry legend Dane Brugler releases “The Beast” draft guide based on his year-round scouting and legwork.
But for me, draft season starts now. That’s right, “know your Chiefs draft crush” is back! In part 1, I wrote about what direction the Chiefs may go and broke down defensive lineman Walter Nolen’s film.
One of my favorite things about breaking down film of college players is the attempt at projecting what they will be in the NFL. This is in part because it’s so difficult to anticipate how their traits (which is what we’re watching for rather than their RESULTS in a given play) will translate to the next level. But it’s also tough because the way guys are used in college may not necessarily be the way they’re used consistently in the pros.
Derrick Harmon, the topic of today’s “know your draft crush,” is just such a player. The way he was utilized at Oregon, at times, is not necessarily how I foresee him being maximized as an NFL player. The Ducks often utilized him as a setup man on stunts for passing downs, and he was asked to 2-gap more frequently as a run defender than I believe he’ll be asked to as a pro. Because of that, some of the things that we’re looking for in terms of traits can be tough to project, because he wasn’t asked to just line up and beat his blocker as frequently as Nolen was.
That said, there’s still plenty of film to talk traits about Harmon, whose impressive size (6’5”, 313 pounds) is accompanied by the power you’d expect and surprising athleticism.
Upper Body Power
Harmon has solid upper body power that he utilizes to his advantage. It’s not as jarring as it is with Nolen and he doesn’t show that same ability to shed blocks constantly, but it’s significant and shows up consistently on film. He has the ability to move blockers with a punch, club, or other grab/shove, whether it’s in run defense or as a pass rusher.
This is a good example of the way Harmon is able to win with upper body power. Watch his hand usage and the way he’s able to drive the blocker not once, but twice.
The first glimpse you get of that upper body power is the way his left arm is able to drive back the right shoulder of the guard attempting to block him. This allows him to start gaining a step to the inside (basically attempting to create a rush lane by moving the blocker rather than trying to go around him). You can see that he generates enough force to get the blocker off-balance, lifting his right foot.
Harmon utilizes this momentum to start to move inside, but he’s already setting up the blocker for the next step of the pass rush.
This is something I really like and shouldn’t be overlooked. Harmon has the blocker off-balance and he knows that the blocker will have to compensate by trying to recover inside. And so he moves inside knowing the blocker will try to follow, then utilizes that momentum to chuck him aside with his right arm. It’s a move that requires significant power in his upper body, but also requires a little bit of setup and a pass rush plan.
Harmon showed the ability to move blockers to one side in order to create rush lanes for himself. He didn’t have a TON of pure pass rush snaps (not nearly as many as Nolen, at least) given the way Oregon’s defensive scheme is structured, but he showed that he can power aside hands in order to create a “half a man” situation and get after the QB through the created lane.
