The Jacksonville Jaguars had high hopes from day one for first-round pick Anton Harrison, essentially anointing him the team’s starting right tackle days after picking him in April.
After a few weeks of training camp, the Jaguars’ optimism hasn’t faded. Harrison has looked more than capable of starting duties in both training camp and preseason.
“His feet are the best I’ve seen out of a rookie,” Jaguars offensive line coach Phil Rauscher told the Florida Times-Union earlier this week. “We drafted Christian Darrisaw when I was in Minnesota in the first round and Christian’s an unbelievable player, but foot-speed-wise, Anton’s got him beat in that sense.
“When you don’t have great foot speed, you have to have great length and fundamentals and stuff. So [having great foot speed] kind of gives you an edge. … If you screw up, your feet can catch you back up and get you through the down, which is hard.”
Win the rep.@Ayee_Tonn @Dream_Finders pic.twitter.com/o54f7hNgpZ
— Jacksonville Jaguars (@Jaguars) August 16, 2023
Jacksonville would be very fortunate if Harrison developed the way Darrisaw has in Minnesota. The Vikings’ 2021 first-rounder earned a stellar 90.3 grade from Pro Football Focus in 2022, second highest among offensive tackles and third highest among all offensive linemen.
For now, the Jaguars are just hoping Harrison can be an adequate starter as a rookie when the team attempts to defend its AFC South crown. In a preseason opener against the Dallas Cowboys, Harrison allowed zero pressures across 12 snaps in pass protection.
