Derrick Harmon knew that the best thing he could have done to improve his chances of fulfilling his dream of making it to the NFL was to leave the comfort of home and challenge himself in a new environment.
The defensive tackle, who looks like he’d be a nice fit for the Buffalo Bills, is a native of Detroit who stayed close to home when he began his college career at Michigan State and spent three seasons as a Spartan, the last two as a starter.
But Harmon felt that he was not getting what he needed in that program, and the only way he would be able to flash his true talent and improve his profile for the 2025 NFL Draft was to enter the transfer portal prior to the 2024 season. Once there, he chose to head out to perennial powerhouse Oregon.
“Talked to my family, talked to my village,” Harmon said at the NFL scouting combine on his decision to leave Michigan State. “They told me to just pray on it, and that’s what I did. I just prayed on it and that was the best decision for me. I feel like it was the best fit for me. It was a hard decision because I went 2,000 miles away from Michigan. That was probably the hardest decision that I’ve had to make, but I had to make it for my future.”
Derrick Harmon exceled at Oregon
Turns out it was a pretty wise decision because playing with more talent around him on the Ducks’ defense, his own play took a quantum leap forward. In 14 games he led all FBS defensive tackles with 55 QB pressures and had a stellar pass rush win rate of 17.6%. He also made 45 tackles, 10.5 for lost yardage including five sacks, batted down four passes and forced two fumbles.
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That earned him Associated Press third-team All-American status as he helped lead the Ducks to a 13-0 record and the Big 10 championship before a season-ending loss to Ohio State in the Rose Bowl in the College Football Playoff.
The Bills should be interested in a player who could become the first Oregon defensive tackle picked in the first round since Haloti Ngata went No. 12 overall to the Ravens in 2006 and went on to an outstanding 13-year NFL career.
Harmon does not have the same girth that someone like Michigan’s 331-pound Kenneth Grant provides, and size is what the Bills sorely need at tackle. But Harmon played at 317 pounds last year and he could easily add useful weight to his 6-foot-4 frame.
And what should work in his favor, at least in the eyes of the Bills, is that he showed the ability to line up in different gaps at Oregon, something he did not do at Michigan State when he was exclusively a three-technique, the position Ed Oliver plays for the Bills.
At Oregon last year, Pro Football Focus logged him for 28 nose tackle snaps, 353 in the three-technique spot, and 209 either over or on the outside of a tackle. Yes, the Bills are in more need of a true one-technique, but Harmon’s talent would be hard to pass up at No. 30 if Grant is gone, and especially if the Bills could trade out of the first round and grab him early in the second round, something Brandon Beane is never averse to doing.
“It’s very valuable,” Harmon said of his versatility. “Where do I see myself on the line? Like I told you guys, zero to five. 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. I really didn’t do that much (at Michigan State), but it showed how versatile I can be and will be at the next level.”
Harmon, who has a massive 83 3/4-inch wingspan, clocked a 4.95 in the 40 at the combine which tied for fifth-fastest among the DTs who ran in Indianapolis, but he did not do any of the other drills.
Harmon said the two players he likes to pattern himself after in the NFL are Chris Jones of the Chiefs and Cam Heyward of the Steelers, and obviously those are two very nice comps.
“Definitely Cam, how he plays that run,” Harmon said. “If I want to watch some run tape, I’m turning on Cam Heyward. And I watch Chris Jones, how he just grabs wrists, grabs elbows so quick. I feel like that comes naturally to me, just like it comes naturally to him.”
One thing that Sean McDeermott probably appreciated about Harmon when the Bills hosted him for a brief interview in the team suite at the combine was his demeanor.
“I’m not a guy that’s going to do all that rah-rah with you or go in front of the team and talk; I just show what I can do on the field,” Harmon said. “My time at Oregon, that’s what I had to do. They wanted me to come in, be that big Alpha, do all the rah-rah. I’d rather just go on the field and show what I can do and be a leader that way. I’ve got a dog in me. Real gritty player, just trying to get to the ball and make a play.”
What draft analyst say about Derrick Harmon
➤ Daniel Jeremiah, NFL Network: “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.”
➤ Dane Brugler, The Athletic: “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. He must become a more consistent finisher, but there wasn’t a more disruptive interior defensive lineman in college football this season.”
➤ Field Yates, ESPN: “Harmon was at Oregon for only one season (after two years at Michigan State), but he made a significant mark in his time as a Duck with more pressures than any other defensive tackle in the FBS. Harmon has very good 34⅜-inch arm length and the strength to overwhelm blockers in the run game. He can rock pass protectors backward to collapse the pocket and stuff runners with effortless strength. Another trait that is hard to quantify but you know it when you see it: Harmon doesn’t take plays off. His motor runs nonstop.”