Top Linebackers in NFL Draft: Malik Harrison

Author:
Bill Huber
Publish date:
Apr 18, 2020 8:33 PM EDT

Ohio State’s physical Malik Harrison is the No. 5 linebacker in the 2020 NFL Draft.

A native of Columbus, Ohio, Malik Harrison played quarterback at Walnut Ridge High School and was recruited as a receiver.

The Ohio State linebacker’s path to the NFL would take a sharp change in direction.

“I figured that out, I’d say like midway through my freshman year,” Harrison said at the Scouting Combine. “Coach (Luke) Fickell, he always had the eye on me as ‘linebacker, linebacker, linebacker.’ He never really talked with me about any other position. But just me, my ability, how I was in high school, usually high-school quarterbacks aren’t really aggressive. I wasn’t the one running out of bounds when I’m at the sideline. I’m going to go ahead and put my shoulder down and get some extra yards.”

Fickell – Ohio State’s defensive coordinator at the time and now the head coach at Cincinnati – was correct. Harrison indeed would make a heck of a good linebacker. A two-year starter, Harrrison led the team with 75 tackles and added 4.5 sacks, 16.5 tackles for losses and four pass breakups as a senior. A bit of an old-school linebacker, he ranked third in ProFootballFocus.com’s run-stop percentage, a metric that essentially measures impact tackles. At 6-foot-2 5/8 and 247 pounds and with ample strength and massive hands, he’s already ready for the rigors of the NFL’s version of trench warfare.

“Just my size and the way that I play inside the two tackles,” Harrison said. “I feel like that’s one of my strengths. I definitely showed that this past year. I can get down there and get dirty [and] use my hands real good.”

What we like

Through conversations with scouts, we cobbled together a list of 27 off-the-ball linebackers who could get drafted. At 247 pounds, Harrison is the biggest of the bunch. With that, he ran a 4.66 in the 40. Of our 27, his 40 time ranked 13th. “I’m one of the biggest linebackers in this draft class. Being able to be that big and still be able to move is a big plus for me,” he said. “Definitely just being aggressive (and) using my hands (is another strength). If you put on the film, the one thing that just flashes out is the way that I use my hands and get off the blocks and fill my gap.”

What we don’t like

While he allowed only a 38 percent catch rate and 2.2 yards per target, according to Sports Info Solutions, coverage is not his forte. He’s got a nice feel in zone coverage but he’s not the ideal defender to be matched man on man against tight ends up the seam or running backs in the flat. Unfortunately, offensive coordinators at times can create those mismatches. PFF charged him with allowing two touchdowns. Most, but not all, scouts don’t believe Harrison can play on third down.