2023 NFL Draft: Prospects with the Most to Prove in 2022

Zach Harrison, EDGE, Ohio State

Zach Harrison came to Columbus as a heralded five-star recruit, leading many to place “Bosa expectations” on the youngster. Talent wise, the comparison tracks. Harrison is a lengthy, strong pass rusher that can make his assignments look silly on his best reps. The problem is, there are few examples of those elite level reps. Far too often, Harrison looks overmatched against the bigger offensive tackles of the Big Ten. He’s a great athlete, but lateral mobility is not his strong suit.

After posting subpar numbers over the first three seasons of his collegiate career, it is safe to say that Harrison has the most to prove out of anybody on this list. And he knows it. Early reports say that he has worked his tail off this offseason and has been unblockable in spring practices. NFL Draft evaluators will be looking for more production this upcoming season, as the seven-and-a-half sacks in 27 career games is not going to cut it. Even if the numbers don’t come, Harrison can drastically improve his stock by putting together more consistent games. As with everyone mentioned, the talent and opportunity is there. It’s up to Harrison to seize it.

BJ Ojulari, EDGE, LSU

If BJ Ojulari’s name sounds familiar, that’s because his brother, Azeez, starred for the Georgia Bulldogs before going in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft to the New York Giants. Like his brother, BJ earned four stars out of high school and also like his brother, he picked the SEC. The difference is that BJ set his sights on the LSU TIgers. After playing sparingly in the COVID year of 2020, BJ truly broke out last season. He recorded seven sacks and 54 total tackles with 12 of them coming behind the line of scrimmage.

So if he’s clearly ascending, why does he have so much to prove? That answer is two-fold. First off, he will be looked upon to be the guy for LSU now that he’s the veteran of the group. With that brings a lot of added responsibility and attention. If constant double teams are sent his way to slow him down, he must show an ability to fight through them with a second effort. The other thing he must prove is that he can be a three-down player as a run defender. He’s on the smaller side, relative to his peers, and he lacks consistency on a snap-by-snap basis. His development in these aspects will determine whether scouts see him simply as a pass rushing specialist, or a guy capable of handling every down duty. That is the difference from getting picked on day one or day three.