Kansas City Chiefs superstar Chris Jones and savvy veteran Tershawn Wharton form one of the NFL’s best interior defensive line combinations. Unfortunately, Wharton hits free agency after this season, which opens the door for Kansas City to draft a new defensive tackle.
Oregon Ducks lineman Derrick Harmon could be a logical target for the Chiefs in the 2025 NFL draft, and could make an excellent running-mate for Jones as Kansas City tries to sustain its defensive juggernaut.
Harmon is an explosive athlete who fires off the line and engages his hands early in the play. His long arms help him lock out offensive linemen and execute pass-rush moves. Harmon needs to develop a larger arsenal of moves, but he already knows push-pulls, rips, two-handed swipes, swim moves, and club-swims.
Harmon’s combination of high-effort play, leg drive, and arm length make him an imposing force. He establishes long-arm moves to pry the offensive lineman’s pad level up and drives his legs to walk the blocker backward. When the offensive lineman re-anchors, Harmon counters with a rip move to squeeze past the block and pursue the quarterback.
Harmon also makes an impact in the run game. He uses his long arms to stack, peak and shed blockers with ease. Offensive linemen struggle to clamp down and contain him. Harmon disengages from single blocks with limited difficulty. He’s powerful enough to drive run blockers into the backfield and disrupt the play.
Most impressive thing I came away from #Oregon DT Derrick Harmon’s performance vs. Ohio State: how effective he was in the run game against double teams. A couple times he anchored against doubles and made run stops.
Pass rush ability is well-known, but was stout vs. the run pic.twitter.com/DLdye0j8P9
— Devin Jackson (@RealD_Jackson) October 14, 2024
Harmon’s high-hipped frame limits his agility. This creates problems with bending around offensive linemen and corralling quarterbacks in the pocket. He needs to convert more of his disruptive plays into sacks and tackles for loss.
The Ducks go on the road to face Purdue on Friday, Oct. 18 at 8:00 p.m. The Boilermakers only have one win this season but took Illinois to overtime last Saturday.
