Is Dominant DL Final Piece to Cardinals' Pass Rush?

The Arizona Cardinals will have to make a decision soon regarding their first-round pick of the 2025 NFL Draft. While there's much speculation about what position the Cardinals will target, it seems as if a front seven player is a solid bet.

Interior DL Derrick Harmon has been mocked many times around the area the Cardinals will be picking in the first round. After three years at Michigan State, Harmon finally broke out on a talented and well-coached Oregon D-line.

But is Harmon a true fit for a Cardinals team that has done much to improve their pass rush and defensive line unit as a whole?

Harmon is an imposing figure at 6-foot-5. He's 310 pounds, and can fill space with both athleticism and pure size. In fact, for a player of his position and skillset, he's actually on the relatively light side.

But Harmon is the definition of a disruptive interior pass rusher. He's not exactly a pure nose tackle, but did see some snaps at a variety of alignments. In general, he profiles more as a pure pass rusher than a run-stopping DL, but it's not as if he's truly lacking in run defense either.

He never had much in the way of raw production at Michigan State, but enjoyed a five-sack season with Oregon in 2024. He did, however, rack up 45 total tackles and 11 TFLs in his senior season, as well as forcing two fumbles.

He posted an 86.3 pass rush grade, and only saw that dip slightly to 80.5 in run defense. Still, his 17.6% pass rush win rate is well beyond elite. It would be difficult to find any player with a percentage that high, even among other first-round prospects.

His run-stop rate fell to 7.1%, not a poor number by any means, but hovering closer to average than elite. Still, Harmon is both durable and versatile, and could benefit from seeing less than full-time action as a rookie.

The dilemma is two-fold. One, there's no guarantee Harmon will be available at pick 16. Two, the Cardinals have built their DL up so much, with DL Darius Robinson waiting in the wings as well, that it could be a struggle for Harmon to find significant playing time.

Still, head coach Jonathan Gannon lives and dies by a rotational D-line philosophy, and it doesn't seem as if Harmon will be left entirely out in the cold.

With a draft this deep, and talent this universally solid, it's tough to imagine Harmon couldn't find a way to contribute if the Cardinals call his name on April 24.