Multiple College Coaches Rave About Possible Cincinnati Bengals Draft Target Derrick Harmon

CINCINNATI — It's no secret that the Bengals could use defensive line help. Is Oregon defensive tackle Derrick Harmon the perfect fit?

Multiple coaches raved about him to Bruce Feldman of The Athletic.

“He was the best interior pass rusher we faced this year,” one Big Ten coach told Feldman. “He has great length and athleticism. We schemed a lot of things to make sure he didn’t get one-on-ones against us. He wasn’t as stout in the run game as (Mason) Graham.”

The Bengals' defense could use an interior pass rusher that consistently beats one-on-ones and makes opposing offenses think about double teaming him.

Harmon had 45 tackles (11 for loss) and five sacks for the Ducks last season.

“I thought he was unbelievable,” 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.”

“Liked him a lot,” a Big Ten O-line coach added. “But I do think he picks and chooses when he wants to play hard or not. He is really good, though. He’s very explosive and quick and plays with power and strength and can shed and get skinny.”

Harmon will certainly be a first round pick and the Bengals will take a long look at him with the No. 17 overall pick.

"He will bring an instant dose of stinginess and toughness to any defense he joins," Lance Zierlein wrote for NFL.com. "Position-versatile building block that makes moving the football a much tougher task. Harmon is wide, long and naturally powerful at the point of attack. He can create traffic jams inside as a two-gapper or stunt and power his way into the backfield. He’s unlikely to be a primary sack man, but he can be part of a swarm unit that batters the pocket. He’s high-cut and tight-hipped, which limits his agility and reactive athleticism to finish. Harmon can play up and down the line in both odd and even fronts."

Harmon is 30th on Pro Football Focus' big board. He's 23rd in Daniel Jeremiah's rankings.

"Harmon is a quick, disruptive defensive tackle with excellent instincts," Jeremiah wrote. "As a pass rusher, he has quick hands to knock away the punch of opposing linemen. He also has a club/rip move that helps him collect early wins. He flashes an occasional bull rush, but I’d like to see more of it because it’s effective. Against the run, he’s very aware and avoids getting displaced by down blocks. He can anchor down versus double-teams and he excels at shooting gaps to disrupt and redirect runners. Overall, Harmon has a great feel for the game and can create a lot of havoc despite lacking an elite trait."

The Bengals could use another "havoc creator," which means Harmon will certainly be in the mix for them in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft.