Oklahoma’s offensive line took another hit on Wednesday, but it wasn’t entirely unexpected.
Anton Harrison, the Sooners’ starting left tackle for the last two seasons, announced via Twitter that he’ll forgo his senior year and declare for the NFL Draft.
It makes sense for Harrison, who is widely projected to become a first-round draft pick. Earlier in November, Pro Football Focus projected him to the Kansas City Chiefs with the 26th pick. On his final snap as a Sooner on Saturday night at Texas Tech, Harrison sustained an ankle injury and left Jones AT&T Stadium in a walking boot.
The 6-foot-5, 315-pound Harrison, a junior from Washington, DC, was just named first-team All-Big 12 earlier in the day. His announcement comes literally minutes after right tackle Wanya Morris accepted an invitation to the Reese’s Senior Bowl to begin his NFL journey.
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Harrison said in his post that he was thankful to the OU coaches “past and present for the opportunity and believing in me to play and grow on and off the field at this university.”
According to Pro Football Focus, Harrison graded out in 2022 as one of the Sooners’ top blockers. His run blocking grade of 68.9 percent ranked just fifth among OU front-line blockers (including tight ends), but his pass blocking grade of 82.1 leads the team and ranks 35th nationally among offensive tackles.
In 446 pass blocks, Harrison allowed just one quarterback sack — the opponents’ only hit of the year on a quarterback against Harrison. He also yielded just nine QB hurries as he played left tackle on 803 total snaps.
At Archbishop Carroll High School in DC, Harrison was a 4-star prospect by 247 Sports, ESPN and Rivals and was an Under Armor All-American. ESPN ranked him as the No. 158 prospect in the nation, and Rivals ranked him as the No. 3 recruits in the DC area.
He chose OU over offers from Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State, Boston College and others.
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