- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 1,196,197
- Reaction score
- 59
The Jacksonville Jaguars did not hesitate when faced with the decision to pick up offensive tackle Anton Harrison's fifth-year option ahead of his fourth year with the team.
Since being drafted in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft, Harrison has become a mainstay on the team's offensive line at right tackle. Harrison has started in all 48 games in which he has played, missing only a few games due to injury. Besides his first season with the franchise, Harrison hasn't faced much competition at the position.
And if he did, he won outright.
NO SURPRISE: Inside Liam Coen's breakout year, how Jaguars coach earned NFL respect
Still, the tackle has motivations beyond just where he plays. In fact, he believes he can play left or right, if needed.
"I feel like I'm the same player on both sides, so me personally, wherever they put me, left or right, I'm fine. It don't matter, I can still produce the same, even more so. It's just being prepared to do either side, doesn't matter where they put me at," Harrison told the Times-Union earlier this offseason.
Jaguars head coach Liam Coen said this offseason that while the team likely won't move Harrison to left tackle full-time, they could flirt with the idea and will cross-train him as they attempted to last year.
"Look, if that was something he was super like, ‘Man, I want to go play left, this is where I see myself as a player,’ that would probably push us more in that direction. But we've had conversations about it. He's very comfortable on the right side. So, I would imagine we would do it again at some point," said Coen.
The belief Jacksonville has shown in the tackle has remained steady since he was drafted across two regimes. And the new Jaguars brass has instilled plenty of confidence in the former Oklahoma Sooner left tackle. The fifth-year option is a step in the right direction, Harrison made it clear that he wants to remain in Jacksonville long-term.
"I was really excited just to know that they still want me here, and that's something we want to work on [in] the future, but just continue to get better, knowing I still got stuff to grow on, and knowing the player I can be. Just trying to get to the real contact and things like that," Harrison said after a physically-demanding, but not yet tactically.
So, what kind of player can Harrison be?
Now fully healthy after battling multiple injuries last year, Harrison's growth is likely to come from within. Coaching helps, especially after the team added run-game coordinator Brian Picucci to the staff this year, but Harrison is his own biggest obstacle.
After spending a year with Harrison, Jaguars offensive line coach Shaun Sarrett understands the talent Harrison has at times on the field, but knows he can tap into much more.
"When you see Anton, his flash that he shows is unbelievable, and he's got the kind of talent that can be, like, man, he could be one of the best [tackles] in the NFL. He just needs to continue with his consistency part of it," Sarrett said during the offseason program. Consistency is something Harrison has worked on this offseason.
"He's done a great job this offseason working on that, and it's something he's going to continue on and we've had our discussions with our three better, three best talks about that and he knows what he has the ability to do."
Though not a perfect barometer, Pro Football Focus show's Harrison's steady growth since being drafted in 2023. He's posted overall grades of 73.2, 64.2 and 53.0 over the last three years, respectively.
Specific to his pass-blocking, Harrison allowed just one sack last season, according to PFF and allowed three sacks in 2024, five during his rookie season in 2023.
Similarly, Harrison's run blocking has improved in the last three years, earning a 65.6 grade from PFF in 2025.
Still, Harrison's new OL coach sees plenty of room to grow.
"When he's playing, we kid around with him, when he's playing twitchy and explosive, he's a pretty good player in there and he can play both sides of the ball [left or right tackle]," Picucci said during the offseason program.
"Now, how much he wants to commit to this position, he knows we need more consistency out of him. He knows that, but the sky's the limit as far as talented traits. This guy could really solidity his future here, having a great year this year."
Picucci admits that Harrison sometimes cheats in his sets, he can get away within some things that others might not simply due to his athleticism. But, Picucci knows Harrison can do more, and he expects it.
"My point being is we nee dmore elite, down-in and down-out of him, and he knows that. But, like I said earlier, he could play either side of the line, he could play left tackle like he did in college, he could play right tackle here. He's an explosive athlete, he's not only got good feet, he's got fast hands, too," said Picucci.
Demetrius Harvey is the Jacksonville Jaguars reporter for the Florida Times-Union. You can follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at @Demetrius82 or on Bluesky at Demetrius.
If you're a subscriber, thank you. If not, please consider subscribing to support local journalism in Northeast Florida.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jaguars staff says Anton Harrison's ceiling is up to him
Continue reading...
Since being drafted in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft, Harrison has become a mainstay on the team's offensive line at right tackle. Harrison has started in all 48 games in which he has played, missing only a few games due to injury. Besides his first season with the franchise, Harrison hasn't faced much competition at the position.
And if he did, he won outright.
NO SURPRISE: Inside Liam Coen's breakout year, how Jaguars coach earned NFL respect
Still, the tackle has motivations beyond just where he plays. In fact, he believes he can play left or right, if needed.
"I feel like I'm the same player on both sides, so me personally, wherever they put me, left or right, I'm fine. It don't matter, I can still produce the same, even more so. It's just being prepared to do either side, doesn't matter where they put me at," Harrison told the Times-Union earlier this offseason.
Jaguars head coach Liam Coen said this offseason that while the team likely won't move Harrison to left tackle full-time, they could flirt with the idea and will cross-train him as they attempted to last year.
"Look, if that was something he was super like, ‘Man, I want to go play left, this is where I see myself as a player,’ that would probably push us more in that direction. But we've had conversations about it. He's very comfortable on the right side. So, I would imagine we would do it again at some point," said Coen.
The belief Jacksonville has shown in the tackle has remained steady since he was drafted across two regimes. And the new Jaguars brass has instilled plenty of confidence in the former Oklahoma Sooner left tackle. The fifth-year option is a step in the right direction, Harrison made it clear that he wants to remain in Jacksonville long-term.
"I was really excited just to know that they still want me here, and that's something we want to work on [in] the future, but just continue to get better, knowing I still got stuff to grow on, and knowing the player I can be. Just trying to get to the real contact and things like that," Harrison said after a physically-demanding, but not yet tactically.
So, what kind of player can Harrison be?
Jaguars coaches feel Anton Harrison can be as good as he wants
You must be registered for see images
Now fully healthy after battling multiple injuries last year, Harrison's growth is likely to come from within. Coaching helps, especially after the team added run-game coordinator Brian Picucci to the staff this year, but Harrison is his own biggest obstacle.
After spending a year with Harrison, Jaguars offensive line coach Shaun Sarrett understands the talent Harrison has at times on the field, but knows he can tap into much more.
"When you see Anton, his flash that he shows is unbelievable, and he's got the kind of talent that can be, like, man, he could be one of the best [tackles] in the NFL. He just needs to continue with his consistency part of it," Sarrett said during the offseason program. Consistency is something Harrison has worked on this offseason.
"He's done a great job this offseason working on that, and it's something he's going to continue on and we've had our discussions with our three better, three best talks about that and he knows what he has the ability to do."
Though not a perfect barometer, Pro Football Focus show's Harrison's steady growth since being drafted in 2023. He's posted overall grades of 73.2, 64.2 and 53.0 over the last three years, respectively.
Specific to his pass-blocking, Harrison allowed just one sack last season, according to PFF and allowed three sacks in 2024, five during his rookie season in 2023.
You must be registered for see images attach
Similarly, Harrison's run blocking has improved in the last three years, earning a 65.6 grade from PFF in 2025.
Still, Harrison's new OL coach sees plenty of room to grow.
"When he's playing, we kid around with him, when he's playing twitchy and explosive, he's a pretty good player in there and he can play both sides of the ball [left or right tackle]," Picucci said during the offseason program.
"Now, how much he wants to commit to this position, he knows we need more consistency out of him. He knows that, but the sky's the limit as far as talented traits. This guy could really solidity his future here, having a great year this year."
Picucci admits that Harrison sometimes cheats in his sets, he can get away within some things that others might not simply due to his athleticism. But, Picucci knows Harrison can do more, and he expects it.
"My point being is we nee dmore elite, down-in and down-out of him, and he knows that. But, like I said earlier, he could play either side of the line, he could play left tackle like he did in college, he could play right tackle here. He's an explosive athlete, he's not only got good feet, he's got fast hands, too," said Picucci.
Demetrius Harvey is the Jacksonville Jaguars reporter for the Florida Times-Union. You can follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at @Demetrius82 or on Bluesky at Demetrius.
If you're a subscriber, thank you. If not, please consider subscribing to support local journalism in Northeast Florida.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jaguars staff says Anton Harrison's ceiling is up to him
Continue reading...
