Zach Harrison never had more than 3.5 sacks in any of his four seasons at Ohio State. Because of that, he knows his Buckeye career won’t be remembered in the same regard as Ohio State greats like Chase Young, Nick Bosa and Joey Bosa.
That said, Harrison was still a disruptive defensive end for the Buckeyes, and he believes his Ohio State teammates, coaches and people who watched him closely recognize that.
“As long as my teammates respected me and appreciated me, that’s really all I cared about,” Harrison said. “Football players know that I'm a ballplayer and I made plays. I’m not sure if the casual fan knows that as much because maybe my numbers aren’t, I don’t have Chase Young numbers, but I definitely have an impact on the game and like I said, really all I care about is my teammates and going out there and winning games.
“Obviously you want to have double-digit sack seasons and things like that, but you gotta realize there’s other ways to affect the game and I feel like I did that well.”
Following four years with the Buckeyes in which he played more than 1,500 snaps, made 28 starts and contributed to 40 wins, Harrison will now look to make a similar impact as a professional football player. He’s auditioning for the NFL at this week’s NFL Scouting Combine, where he was the first of Ohio State’s eight combine invitees to have his media interview session when he met with reporters on Wednesday.
While Harrison never quite became the superstar he was expected to be at Ohio State as a five-star recruit out of high school, he believes his best football is still in front of him.
“I’m very confident,” Harrison said. “I'm so excited about the player that I am today, and knowing that I have so much to work on and being in this position where I’m at right now, just being at the combine and being one of the top guys of the defensive line class, and knowing I have so much room to improve. And I hope that I get to tap into that.”
Going into the combine, projections for where Harrison will be drafted have ranged from as high as the first round to as low as the fourth round. He could boost his chances of being drafted on the earlier end of that spectrum with a standout performance Thursday when he and the rest of the defensive linemen will go through their on-field workouts.
Harrison’s 40-yard dash will be one to watch, as he was clocked running the 40 as fast as 4.47 seconds when he was in high school. But he didn’t make any bold predictions about fast he’d run on Wednesday.
“I just want to run as fast as I can,” Harrison said. (Update: Harrison did not end up participating in any on-field drills Thursday due to a minor hamstring injury.)
Given how much he played at Ohio State, Harrison believes the most important part of his week at the combine is not his on-field workout but his interviews with NFL team representatives.
“I played a lot of football at Ohio State, so a lot of teams know my athletic profile and what I can do on the field,” Harrison said. “I just want to let teams know the person I am.”
What will Harrison tell NFL decision-makers about why they should draft him? He says they’ll get an impact player on the field and a leader off the field.
“I feel like you’re gonna get a playmaker,” Harrison said. “A guy that’s gonna be able to lead, be a leader in the locker room. Guys are gonna gravitate toward me just because of my hard work and my personality. And then when we’re on the field, a guy that’s gonna make plays, like TFLs, and change the game.”
While Harrison would love to be a first-round draft pick, he says he is more focused on being ready to make an impact once he lands with an NFL team.
“That would be huge to have a team take me in the first round, but honestly, I’m just trying to get my foot in the door,” Harrison said. “Because once you get there, none of that really matters. It’s all about playing football and getting back to square one. You got to prove yourself every day.”
When Harrison reflects back on his Ohio State career, he says the thing he’s proudest of is being named a team captain in 2021 because it showed the respect he had from his teammates.
“That’s something that I’m gonna have on my resume for the rest of my life, and was voted on from my peers,” Harrison said. “I'm really honored to be able to do that. And just all my time at Ohio State, I loved every step of the whole journey.”
“I feel like you’re gonna get a playmaker. A guy that’s gonna be able to lead, be a leader in the locker room.”– Zach Harrison on what he will bring to an NFL team
Harrison could have already been in the NFL last year if he wanted to be, as he was projected to be a middle-round selection in the 2022 NFL draft had he left Ohio State early, but he’s glad he chose to stay at Ohio State for his senior year as he believes it made him a more complete football player.
“Junior year, I wasn't necessarily ready to be a pro yet,” Harrison said. “After this last year at Ohio State, I realized, ‘OK, this is how I gotta take care of my body. This is how I've got to watch film. This is how I've got to hydrate.’ All the little things that you might not see, you might not think is important, that now I’m gonna look at and say ‘OK, these are all crucial to me being the best player.’ I have those skills now and I’m ready to take that to the NFL.”
Going to the NFL will mean leaving Columbus for the first time in his life, as Harrison grew up just north of Columbus in Lewis Center, Ohio, before spending the last four years at Ohio State. But while he will miss Columbus, he’s excited to experience something new.
“I love Columbus, it’s always going to have a special place in my heart because it’s home,” Harrison said. “But I'm ready to spread my wings and get away from home. Just plant my roots somewhere else.”
