Arrowhead Pride
There’s a lot to like about this athletic, disruptive player.
Draft season has arrived!
Let’s begin our evaluations of 2025 prospects by considering one of the Kansas City Chiefs’ biggest needs: defensive tackle.
With Tershawn Wharton and Derrick Nnadi leaving in free agency, Chris Jones entering his 30s and Mike Pennel being only a short-term solution, Kansas City finds itself thin at the position. So the team probably intends to add some young, blue-chip talent in the draft.
If it are looking for a high-ceiling player who doesn’t have to play immediately, Oregon defensive tackle Derrick Harmon offers one of the higher ceilings in this draft class.
Here’s what you need to know.
Coming out of Detroit’s Loyola High School, Harmon was just a three-star recruit with only one Power-5 offer: Michigan State. While he was listed between 350 and 360 pounds, he got down to 315 during his time with the Spartans — and eventually became a four-star transfer to Oregon. As a young man, Harmon was able to get into outstanding shape — and it’s made him a significantly better football player.
In his last two years at Michigan State — as he was undergoing this major body shift — Harmon recorded 35 pressures on 452 pass-rushing reps, which was a pressure rate of 7.7%. But after transferring to Oregon (which possessed a better defense) in 2024, Harmon finished with 55 pressures in 346 pass-rushing snaps. That 15.9% pressure rate was more than double his seasons with the Spartans. In 2024, Harmon led all of college football’s interior defensive linemen in pressures.
At the NFL Scouting Combine, Harmon checked in at 6 feet 4 and 313 pounds, with 34 3/8-inch arms and 10 3/8” hands. He only ran the 40-yard dash. While his 10-yard split wasn’t great, his 20-yard split and overall time were strong.
The first thing that stands out in Harmon’s film is how disruptive he is. He possesses what is arguably the best first step of any defensive tackle in this draft class — so quick that he can slant into another gap before a guard or center can get their hands on him. Even though he doesn’t yet have a deep bag of pass-rushing moves, Harmon is so athletic that he can slip blocks and get into the backfield instantly.
This trait also stands out against the run, where Harmon is adept at splitting blocks to collect tackles for loss. While he isn’t yet a stout run defender, he shows some signs of that on film; in this area, I would project some development as a pro. Early in his NFL career, he might be better at penetrating or trying to get splash plays — but over time, he could improve his gap integrity. Earlier in his career, we saw something similar with Kansas City defensive tackle Chris Jones.
Given his age — Harmon is just 21 — his lack of pass-rushing moves isn’t a big deal. I care...
