Derrick Harmon Disappointed at Michigan State in 2023

Oregon defensive tackle Derrick Harmon is ranked No. 34 on the consensus 2025 NFL Draft Big Board (nflmockdraftdatabase.com).

This means I needed to look at him, which meant going back to when Harmon played at Michigan State in 2023 before he transferred to Oregon on May 3.

In the first five games, I thought I had struck gold, but then he did a magic trick the final six games.

He disappeared as a pass rusher.

Harmon still chimed in on run defense here and there those final six games, but wow was he disappointing disrupting the pocket. After the first five games, I was seriously thinking of putting a first-round grade on him, but then the last six games happened.

This is why I’m glad I made the decision to invest the time it takes into doing full season evaluations on prospects this draft cycle. It was the advice my friend, colleague and former First Round Mock NFL Draft Analyst Ken Becks gave me. He said when he evaluated all of the film on a prospect, he never missed. I had come up believing three, four or five games were enough to evaluate spread out throughout a season, but what Becks said really resonated with me, and in the case of Harmon it turned out to be a real nugget of wisdom.

In the words of Bill Parcells, who was the coach of the Jets when I was hired there, “You never stay the same. You either get better, or you get worse.”

First five games

Harmon was showing what it takes early in the season. He was showing the kind of tenacity, bend, flexibility, athleticism and raw power it takes to disrupt the pocket in the National Football League. It wasn’t on every play, but it was often enough to know it was in him, the ability to take over games was there.

He ‘looked the part’ as they say in scouting.

Harmon was throwing his weight around and he made some devastating wrapping tackles defending against the run. He was drawing his fair share of double teams, which told me how opponents were respecting his game. That really rang true when he was matched up one-on-one and his raw strength became even more evident and that much harder for an offensive lineman to attempt to handle all by himself.

At one point, I started daydreaming about a nickname that came to my mind for him, “The Human Flood.”

Last six games

It’s like someone unplugged the television during one of my favorite shows.

Harmon looked like a different guy the rest of the season. He looked reactive. He even pulled up once he got into the pocket as a pass rusher.

Harmon lost his mojo.

Granted the stretch drive of the schedule might have featured more physical offensive lines. I don’t know what to think. I am left grasping at straws and that is unsettling for someone who’s in the information gathering business.

Harmon looked more uncoordinated and he was easier to handle for offensive linemen. He still prevailed as a limited area run defender in those last six games of the season, but geez.

#41 (jersey number at Michigan State) Derrick Harmon, 6-foot-5, 310 pounds

Daniel Kelly’s 2024 Fall Grade: Fourth-Round (I wouldn’t select him)

Projected by 14.1% of the NFL Draft Community to be a first-round pick as of December 7, 2024 (nflmockdraftdatabase.com)

2023 game film evaluated: Richmond, Washington, Maryland, Iowa, Rutgers, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, Ohio State, Indiana, and Penn State (click to view games watched to form this evaluation)

2025 NFL Draft Scouting Report

Inconsistent rotational interior big man. Athletic frame. Thick Calves. Big bubble. Wide around the middle. All or nothing. Tended to come out of a four-point stance. Inconsistent hand usage. Raw pass rusher. Flashed tremendous upper body power. Capable of locking out at the point. Limited pass rush arsenal (I counted three swim, three spin, and one rip move). Looks to stunt and shoot gaps. Showed fluid movements. Decent change of direction. Below average hand usage. Inconsistent shed vs. run. Got pushed around too often.

What to watch for during the 2024 college football season

1. Consistency?

2. Pass rush moves?

3. Shedding run blocks?

Daniel Kelly is a former NFL Scout with the New York Jets. He was hired on the regime which featured Bill Parcells, Bill Belichick, Scott Pioli, Mike Tannenbaum, and Dick Haley. He is currently the Editor-in-Chief for First Round Mock, and has written for Sports Illustrated (Lions, Jets, and 49ers), NFL Draft Diamonds, and Yardbarker, as well as a featured guest on ESPN Radio and Fox Sports Radio. For more information about him visit his website at whateverittakesbook.com. Follow on Twitter @firstroundmock.