2023 NFL Draft: Raiders Would Have Considered Anton Harrison at No. 12 in Potential Trade

The Jacksonville Jaguars were more than happy with their fortunes in Thursday's NFL Draft, selecting Oklahoma offensive tackle Anton Harrison at No. 27. It was more than a small surprise the athletic young tackle fell that far.

As it turns out, it was a non-deal that helped Harrison land in Jacksonville instead of being a top-15 pick.

According to NBC Sports' Peter King, who spent Thursday with the Las Vegas Raiders, Harrison is a player the Raiders would have considered at No. 12 overall if they performed a draft-day trade with the Arizona Cardinals for the No. 12 pick.

Instead, the Cardinals moved up to No. 6 and selected Paris Johnson Jr., leading to the Raiders staying at No. 7 and taking pass-rusher Tyree Wilson. As a result, a series of dominoes led to the Jaguars landing their Week 1 starter at right tackle.

"Cards GM Monti Ossenfort called Ziegler. Hushed discussion, presumably exchanging potential offers for the pick. Then Ziegler and McDaniels huddled. Having the 12th and 33rd overall picks, to go along with the Raiders’ 38th choice, would be tempting. “We could get [Oklahoma tackle Anton] Harrison at 12,” McDaniels said. The Raiders loved Harrison—not as much as Johnson, but enough maybe to lose the fourth non-QB they love in order to pick up the 33rd pick. They mulled," King wrote.

The phone went cold for a few minutes. Seemed obvious Ossenfort wanted Paris Johnson.He had to be dealing with Detroit, trying to get ahead of Vegas to ensure getting Johnson.

A four-star recruit out of high school, Harrison went on to play three seasons with the Oklahoma Sooners. The 21-year-old was a one-time All-Big 12 Selection and appeared in 34 contests, mostly at the left tackle spot, with one start coming at right tackle in their 2022 season opener against UTEP.

"He's a young man that checked all the boxes for us," Jaguars general manager Trent Baalke said on Thursday.

“For me, the interaction that we had with him at the combine stood out. He’s a really a mature young man. Good head on his shoulders. Spoke well about a lot of things. Spoke well of his family. That was important to him, that's important to us. Just really felt the culture fit was ideal for us.”

Harrison started most of his games at left tackle in college, but the Jaguars expect for him to compete for the starting right tackle spot in training camp.

"Yeah, obviously tackle is the spot to learn," Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson said.

"We'll get him in here and get him going. The biggest thing is just getting him around the other guys and get him in that room, get him with Phil [Offensive Line Coach Phil Rauscher], Coach Washington [Assistant Offensive Line Coach Todd Washington], the guys, just start the learning process. Right now, tackle will be the first primary spot for him, but as he develops and grows, just see where he can best help us win games."