Anton Harrison taken in the first round of the latest Touchdown Wire mock draft
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The NFL playoffs continue with one of the best weekends on the football calendar as championship weekend will decide who goes to the Super Bowl.
With just four teams remaining, the other 28 have moved on to roster, free agency, and draft evaluations. The NFL draft is still three months away, but you can be sure that NFL front offices are already knee-deep in college film.
In the latest 2023 NFL mock draft from the Touchdown Wire at USA TODAY Sports, Doug Farrar has Oklahoma Sooners offensive tackle Anton Harrison going off the board to the Kansas City Chiefs at No. 30. He believes Harrison would be a good replacement for current Chiefs left tackle Orlando Brown. Why do the Chiefs need to replace Brown? Here’s what Farrar had to say:
The Chiefs have re-designed their offense to great effect over the last two seasons, but there are still a few things to fix. One of those things is a problem at left tackle. Orlando Brown Jr., who is playing on the franchise tag, is a decent blindside blocker who has serious issues dealing with edge-rushers on the back half of the arc. This was an issue in 2021, Brown’s first year in Kansas City, and it was still a problem in 2022. It has also been a problem in 2023, as we saw early in the Chiefs’ divisional-round win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. – Farrar, Touchdown Wire
In essence, Brown’s problem is when edge rushers want to take him upfield and then turn the corner. For a bigger offensive tackle, that can be a challenge. As the league has gotten quicker off the edge, it might make sense to add more athleticism at left tackle. Harrison has been a popular pick to the Chiefs in 2023 NFL mock drafts for months now.
Who to replace Brown? Were I Chiefs general manager Brett Veach or head coach Andy Reid, I would be looking intently in the direction of Oklahoma’s Anton Harrison, who allowed just one sack and nine total pressures in 2022, and has the skills to do everything from pinching inside to establish running lanes to dealing with those quicker edge guys. – Farrar, Touchdown Wire
It’s certainly possible that the Chiefs draft Harrison and retain Brown to either kick over to the right side of the offensive line or move him inside to guard.
Though the NFL draft is still months away, it’s becoming clear that Anton Harrison is going to be a top-40 pick in 2023. Will he be able to break the Sooners’ streak without a first-round pick? We’ll find out on draft night in April.
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