Multiple College Coaches Praise Oregon’s Derrick Harmon as a Potential Bengals Draft Target
CINCINNATI — The Bengals are in need of defensive line help, and Oregon defensive tackle Derrick Harmon could be the ideal candidate.
Several coaches have spoken highly of Harmon to Bruce Feldman of The Athletic.
“He was the best interior pass rusher we faced this year,” said one Big Ten coach. “He has excellent length and athleticism. We had to adjust a lot of our schemes to avoid one-on-one matchups with him. He wasn’t as strong against the run as Mason Graham, though.”
The Bengals’ defense would benefit from an interior pass rusher who can consistently win one-on-ones and force offenses to consider double-teaming him.
Harmon recorded 45 tackles (11 for loss) and five sacks for Oregon last season.
“He was incredible,” a Big Ten running backs coach told Feldman. “He’s just as disruptive as Mason Graham when we played them, and he’s even bigger. Very impressed by him.”
“He’s a great player,” added a Big Ten O-line coach. “But I do think he’s inconsistent in terms of effort. Still, he’s very explosive, quick, powerful, and able to shed blocks and squeeze through gaps.”
Harmon is expected to be a first-round pick, and the Bengals will likely consider him with the 17th overall selection.
“He’ll bring an immediate toughness and physicality to any defense he joins,” Lance Zierlein wrote for NFL.com. “Harmon is a versatile building block that makes moving the ball a lot harder. He’s wide, long, and naturally powerful at the point of attack. He can clog up the interior as a two-gapper or use his power to get into the backfield. He’s unlikely to be a primary sack threat, but he can contribute to a group that pressures the pocket. His high-cut build and tight hips limit his agility, but he can play across the line in both odd and even fronts.”
Harmon ranks 30th on Pro Football Focus’ big board and 23rd in Daniel Jeremiah’s rankings.
“Harmon is a quick, disruptive defensive tackle with strong instincts,” Jeremiah wrote. “As a pass rusher, he uses quick hands to defeat offensive linemen’s punches and has a club/rip move that leads to early wins. He occasionally flashes a bull rush that’s effective. Against the run, he’s aware and difficult to move on down blocks. He can hold his ground against double-teams and excels at shooting gaps to disrupt running plays. Harmon has a great feel for the game and can create a lot of chaos, even though he lacks one elite trait.”
The Bengals could use another player who can create chaos on defense, making Harmon a likely candidate for their first-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
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