Each year, a new crop of players rises to the ranks of the elite at their respective positions. Over the next few days, we’ll be highlighting these players who are up next in the NFL hierarchy, and are candidates for a breakout season in 2024.
With NFL pass rushers getting better on both sides of the line, the right tackle can no longer be a weak point. Teams are placing a high priority on the right side of their line, even switching the elite athletes coming out of college as left tackles over to the right and trusting in their development. Detroit Lions’ supernova Penei Sewell is the best example of this, but down in Jacksonville, Anton Harrison is making his case to be the next breakout star at right tackle.
In his rookie season with Jacksonville, not only did Harrison step in immediately, starting all 17 games, but played at a very high level. Over the last nine games of the season, the No. 27 overall pick didn’t allow a single sack, and according to Daniel Griffis of Jaguar Report, his pressure rate of 3.85 percent was ninth among all tackles per Pro Football Focus.
Harrison stepped into the league and showed his polish as a pass blocker, and while the rest of the Jaguars offensive line struggled at times, Harrison shined in true pass sets.
While you might not be able to see his name too clearly on here, Harrison is exactly where you want him to be on this graph as a rookie pass protector. His ability to win in true passing sets is such a good chip to have for this Jaguars’ offense.
Offensive Tackles in true pass sets, Sewell/Wirfs . Losing Brady (got ball out fast) while moving to the left side is a big transition and Wirfs got it done. pic.twitter.com/YwnIESvQTq
— Football Insights (@fball_insights) June 22, 2024
Harrison has such a quick jump out of his stance that it gives him more time to anchor and use his athletic tools to shut down most power rushes out on the edge. On this rep, he gives up a bit of ground to this rush with power, but is simply able to use his upper body strength to completely shut down the move before it gets hectic.
I think the thing that stands out the most about Harrison is how patient he is in his pass sets. For a rookie right tackle, he’s rarely every caught in a situation where he’s lunging or panicking. His ability to have quick reactions and quicker hands to shut down opposing pass rushers is really impressive for a guy who is just 22 years old. One of his standout games came in week 12 against Defensive Rookie of the Year Will Anderson Jr. and the Houston Texans. Harrison didn’t allow a pressure in the Jaguars’ victory, and put on a pass protection clinic. Harrison has really strong hands in the passing game and is such a good mirror athlete that he’s able to slow this pass rush before it even starts. That ability to stay composed and then finish as a pass blocker is very advanced for a guy his age, moving from left to right tackle.
Not only does his patience show up against power, but against speed he’s able to redirect hands and never find himself out of position. Watch this next rep against Anderson. Anderson goes to chop Harrison’s hands down, but Harrison removes his hands and leaves Anderson swiping at air. Then he replaces and walks him away from the QB, a really impressive rep to have under your belt, in a season full of those kind of reps in the passing game.
As a run blocker, Harrison leaves a bit more to be desired. He’s still a bit more upright as a run blocker at the point of attack, leaving him susceptible to being uprooted by defensive linemen. On the frontside of this run Harrison doesn’t bring his inside hand, leaving him unavailable to fully get his hands on this defender who makes the play in the backfield.
While that may not be his strong suit as a run blocker, he’s much better in space on the Jaguars’ pin and pull concepts. He’s a very good athlete who has good spatial awareness, picking off unsuspecting second and third level defenders along the way. Harrison has quick feet (as shown in his ability as a pass blocker) and a much better ability to strike in the run game in space on smaller guys. The Jaguars used this pin and pull action a lot with Harrison, and he was really good at it as well.
Harrison has an extremely bright future in this league. With the Jaguars retaining continuity to his left with guard Brandon Scherff coming back and offensive line coach Phil Rauscher being retained, Harrison has the chance to break out and put his name among the top right tackles in the league next year. With all of the offseason moves Jacksonville has made, they seem to be trending towards more downfield targets, which place a heavier importance on offensive line play. With the continuity in the offensive line room and among the offensive braintrust, Harrison has breakout potential for 2024.
