NFL Draft: Falcons 'Gravitate' Towards Ohio State Captain Zach Harrison
The Atlanta Falcons filled one of their biggest needs going into the NFL Draft in the third round on Friday, taking Ohio State pass rusher Zach Harrison with the No. 75 overall pick.
Harrison was popular among his teammates in Columbus, who voted him as a captain in his junior season. Harrison's journey at Ohio State is reflective of what the Falcons want to build in Atlanta.
"Guys are gonna gravitate toward me just because of my hard work and my personality," Harrison said. "And then when we’re on the field, a guy that’s gonna make plays, like TFLs, and change the game.”
Those are players the Falcons are looking for. Texas coach Steve Sarkisian called first-round pick Bijan Robinson "captain-worthy," while second-round pick Matthew Bergeron and Harrison were both captains at Syracuse and Ohio State, respectively.
That's maybe part of why the Falcons were impressed by Harrison even though he didn't participate in on-field drills at the combine after a hamstring injury.
“I'm so excited about the player that I am today, and knowing that I have so much to work on and being in this position where I’m at right now, just being at the combine and being one of the top guys of the defensive line class, and knowing I have so much room to improve," Harrison said at the Combine. "And I hope that I get to tap into that.”
Now, he'll get to tap into that as the newest member of the Falcons.
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