It may have taken 75 picks, but the Atlanta Falcons finally drafted an edge rusher in the third round of the 2023 NFL draft. The team selected Ohio State’s Zach Harrison with its final pick on Day 2.
While some fans were frustrated to see Atlanta wait until the third round to address the defense, most were happy with the pick. Harrison fits what defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen typically looks for in edge rushers and he should provide some rotational value as a rookie.
Check out how Falcons fans reacted to the pick on Twitter.
Love it… another Zach in the ATL!!
Ohio State DE Zach Harrison is headed to the Falcons in 3rd round per league sources
— Zach Klein (@ZachKleinWSB) April 29, 2023
That’s a Ryan Nielsen pick
— 🔴⚫️ (@DirtyBirdz_11) April 29, 2023
85.5-inch wingspan for Harrison. They likes em long and strong! #Falcons
— Aaron Freeman (@falcfans) April 29, 2023
Would’ve rather had ade but at least we finally addressed defense https://t.co/Lvvt2fKpoT
— ImissJulio🦦 (@MossedByPitts) April 29, 2023
Falcons bet on the potential of Zach Harrison. He’s sooo long and powerful with natural athleticism. Very productive run defender who just needs to develop a consistent pass rush plan. Flashes like this give hope: pic.twitter.com/wiNFagboJW
— Bobby Football (@Rob__Paul) April 29, 2023
Falcons have a crowded DE room which is a good problem to have.
— Fady Falcon 🕋 🇵🇸 (@PaliFalcon) April 29, 2023
Zach Harrison has a ton of good traits. Never hit his ceiling while at Ohio State. Raw, needs coaching. Ryan Nielsen can roll back his sleeves and mold this kid. Can also pick the brain of Calais Campbell. An upside selection. If he hits, Harrison can a very solid puzzle piece.
— Eric Robinson (@_Eric_Robinson) April 29, 2023
Zach Harrison was drafted with pick 75 of round 3 in the 2023 draft class. He scored a 8.71 #RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 211 out of 1634 DE from 1987 to 2023. https://t.co/JtM1Q0Xup4 pic.twitter.com/VhSNacZtOy
— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) April 29, 2023
I mean… okay. Adebawore was right there though
— Taylor Guyton (@Taylor_g_22) April 29, 2023
Finally we got a pass rusher pic.twitter.com/leXCi8ECIs
— ATL🖤 (@FalconsAlways) April 29, 2023
WE GOT AN EDGE RUSHER pic.twitter.com/nEbyIaNGiv
— triple (@triplethepugg) April 29, 2023
— Will Cave (@WillCave) April 29, 2023
— airhawk (@_airhawkeye) April 29, 2023
— Tristan White (@TornadoezWX) April 29, 2023
