Do the Jaguars See a Jawaan Taylor Comparison in Anton Harrison?
While there is quite a ways to go until Week 1, it is fairly obvious that Jacksonville Jaguars first-round offensive tackle Anton Harrison will take the position left vacant by former stalwart Jawaan Taylor.
But aside from the simple comparison of roles, could the Jaguars see a lot of Taylor -- one of the NFL's top right tackles in 2022 -- in Harrison, the No. 27 overall pick? That is what one take from ESPN on the Jaguars' latest first-round pick says.
"Here's the intel I got on the pick: Jacksonville sees a lot of its former right tackle, Jawaan Taylor, in Harrison -- plays well with his upper body, good feet for pass protection, had perceived run-block issues but is capable in the right scheme compared with what he was asked to do at Oklahoma," ESPN's Jeremy Fowler said about the selection.
Harrison started 24 games over the last two seasons, with 23 starts coming at left tackle and one at right tackle. Harrison has said since he was drafted that he feels comfortable and natural on the right side, with his one start coming without any practice reps.
Taylor, however, was an iron man-type performer at right tackle, dating back to his college days. He played most of his college starts on the right side and then started all 68 games over the last four seasons, including two postseason games last season.
Harrison, though, will move to the right side on a full-time basis for the first time this training camp. The Jaguars have the same confidence in Harrison making the switch that he himself does.
And if Harrison can step in and help replace Taylor, who signed a major four-year, $80 million deal with $60 million in guarantees with the Kansas City Chiefs this March, then the Jaguars will be more than happy with the pick.
“He’s going to come in and work over on the right side,” Pederson told Kainani Stevens of Jaguars.com. “He’ll be next to Brandon Scherff and sort of solidify that spot for us.
“His versatility, not only to play the left side which he played in school, but he can also move inside and potentially play guard, so there’s so many things that we can do. But we want to keep him in one spot, get him to start developing and growing in one spot and feel comfortable there before we start moving him around.”
On the field, the comparison makes sense in a lot of ways. They have similar builds and are similar athletes, while their strengths involved their footwork and athleticism in pass-protection. Harrison may not play to Taylor's 2022 level right away, but nothing says he can't eventually get there.
