Purple Draft Profile: Oregon DI Derrick Harmon
PFF recently compiled a list of each team’s most frequently drafted player using their mock draft simulator, and everyone is apparently drafting Oregon defensive interior lineman Derrick Harmon.
Harmon started his college career as a Michigan State Spartan, playing three seasons with the program. Viewing these seasons as developmental, Harmon then entered the transfer portal and committed to Oregon. His tenure at Michigan State wasn’t super flashy, only amassing 3.5 sacks and 69 total tackles across the 28 games he appeared in. At Oregon, however, he burst onto the scene.
In his lone season as a Duck, Harmon marked 5.5 sacks and two forced fumbles. On top of those impressive snaps from a defensive interior lineman, his 39 QB hurries signified him as a legitimate pass rusher from the inside, on top of his solid 80.5 run defense grade.
Derrick Harmon is a scary interior pass rusher off the box score as well. PFF graded him at 86.3 for pass rushing, a 91.2% true-passing set win rate, a 17.6% pass rush win rate, and a 7.1% run-stop rate.
Derrick Harmon possesses a dangerous first-step and natural quickness that would be welcome to any defense in the NFL, and it’s pretty fun to imagine what he could do in a Brian Flores scheme. He has elite upper-body strength mixed with scary-quick hands and a phenomenal rip move that can send opposing offensive linemen into the shadow realm.
Minnesota may have just signed Javon Hargrave and Jonathan Allen, but Harmon would be a long-term maneuver that could solidify Minnesota’s interior front into the 2030s. Even in the short term, having his world-class interior pass rush would finalize an absolutely absurd rotation on the defensive front in Minnesota.
Aiding his pass rush and run-defending habits is his natural understanding of the game of football. Derrick Harmon possesses a high game IQ and is able to diagnose offensive play designs immediately as the ball is snapped. His other-worldly athletic abilities benefit from the enhancement of his pure instinct for the gridiron.
“Harmon has just one year of notable production, but that season showcased a player with a high football IQ, consistent competitiveness and NFL-level quickness. He can be an effective 3-technique defensive lineman for an even front.”
In fairness, Harmon does have a few areas to improve. He still needs to polish his tackling technique and his habit of over-pursuing the QB when pass-rushing., and teams may be concerned at the fact that he had only one year of legitimate production in his college career; however, it’s good for his case that the one year was his most recent.
The recent signings of Jonathan Allen and Jonathan Hargrave shouldn’t discourage the Vikings from looking Harmon’s way on draft night, as he could potentially be the defensive interior lineman of the future for the purple, and the Vikings have positioned themselves to be able to treat their first-round selection as a luxury selection.
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