Skip to main content
Advertising
Presented by

Meet the Prospect: Derrick Harmon

Name: Derrick Harmon

Position: Defensive tackle

School: Oregon

Ht/Wt: 6-4 1/2, 313

40-yard dash: 4.95 seconds

Bench: Did not bench

Vertical: Did not jump

Broad: Did not jump

3-cone: Did not run

20-yard shuttle: Did not run

View photos of 2025 NFL Draft defensive line prospect Derrick Harmon.

How he fits: The Lions return starters Alim McNeill and DJ Reader, though McNeill might not be ready for the start of the season after tearing his ACL in mid-December.

Detroit re-signed Levi Onwuzurike and Pat O’Connor, both on one-year deals. The team signed veteran Roy Lopez in free agency, and they're pretty high on the development of second-year tackle Mekhi Wingo.

It's a pretty versatile and deep group returning along the interior of Detroit's defensive line, but adding a player like Harmon would give them another penetrating tackle who lived on the other side of the line of scrimmage last year at Oregon.

The worst pressure a quarterback can feel is right in their face up the middle and teams can never have enough of those players, especially if McNeill won't be available to begin the season. It should also be noted that Reader, Onwuzurike, Lopez and O'Connor will all be on the last year of their contracts in 2025. Getting a player like Harmon would secure a running mate for McNeill long-term.

Key observations: According to Pro Football Focus, Harmon had 55 pressures last season, the most of any defensive tackle in the FBS. His 86.3 pass-rush grade tied for fourth, while also making five sacks and 10.5 tackles for loss.

What they had to say about him: "Harmon is a quick, disruptive defensive tackle with excellent instincts. As a pass rusher, he has quick hands to knock away the punch of opposing linemen. He also has a club/rip move that helps him collect early wins. He flashes an occasional bull rush, but I'd like to see more of it because it's effective.

"Against the run, he's very aware and avoids getting displaced by down blocks. He can anchor down versus double-teams and he excels at shooting gaps to disrupt and redirect runners. Overall, Harmon has a great feel for the game and can create a lot of havoc despite lacking an elite trait." – Daniel Jeremiah, NFL Media analyst

How he stacks up: Jeremiah lists Harmon as No. 26 on his most recent version of his Top 50 players in the class.

The Athletic's Dane Brugler lists Harmon as his No. 19 overall prospect in his first list of the Top 100 players in the draft).

"Harmon is a player who can win in different ways. He forces blockers to attack air because of his lateral explosiveness, but he also uses strong, crafty hands to swat away their reaches as he bursts through gaps to close on the ball carrier," Brugler wrote. "He must become a more consistent finisher, but there wasn't a more disruptive interior defensive lineman in college football this season."

NFL.com lead writer Eric Edholm puts Campbell at No. 22 on his list of the 100 Top Players in the class.

"Harmon does some wild things for a big man, and he carries his weight well. He'll always be a player who's more impactful than his stat line might indicate.," Edholm wrote.

ESPN's Field Yates lists Harmon as No. 31 on his initial Big Board of the Top 32 prospects in the class.

What he had to say: "I'm very versatile," Harmon said at the Combine. "I can play from the zero (technique) to the five. I feel like I put that on tape this year. I can play anything. Whatever teams need me to play. I feel like I can play mid front, a three-down front, a four-down front or the five tech. So, what a team needs me to play."

Advertising