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Jaguars OT Anton Harrison begins second season with 'confidence,' gives update on shoulder
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- Jaguars OT Anton Harrison begins second season with 'confidence,' gives update on shoulder
Anton Harrison 's name wasn't said much last year, his first season in the league, after being drafted in the first round of the 2023 draft by the Jacksonville Jaguars .
That's a good thing. Harrison's play last season as the team's starting right tackle went above and beyond the expectations for a rookie tackle. Aside from two false starts and three holding calls, Harrison went unnoticed by many, perhaps except for the team's coaching staff and more studious observers.
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Entering this season, after playing nearly 100% of the team's offensive snaps (96%, 1,113 total snaps), Jaguars offensive coordinator Press Taylor said Tuesday that Harrison's confidence continues to grow.
"I think just there is a level of confidence that you expect to see from a guy that played the whole season, and just you saw his confidence grow from Week 1 through Week 18 in just understanding what each week looks like. I think that's one the biggest thing, especially for young guys," Taylor said when asked about Harrison.
Harrison's progression as a rookie could be seen in real-time. Harrison struggled early against All-Pro defensive lineman Chris Jones and posted just three positive pass-protection grades through the first eight weeks of the season, according to Pro Football Focus.
Jacksonville Jaguars offensive linemen Anton Harrison and Cooper Hodges during the first day of organized team activities.
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Harrison rebounded, however, grading out positively in five of the remaining nine games of the season. All of Harrison's (five) allowed sacks, per PFF, came during the first eight games of the season. He surrendered zero sacks in the final nine games.
Among rookies with at least 100 pass block reps, Harrison accounted for the third-lowest quarterback pressure percentage allowed at 6.3%, according to ESPN.
Harrison accomplished plenty in 17 regular-season games even though he played the majority of it with a bad shoulder that ultimately required surgery . The fact that he faced the trials and tribulations of not just playing in the league, but playing with an injury after a grueling ramp-up process immediately following his final collegiate season, is impressive and bodes well for the future.
"They're used to their season ends around Thanksgiving. Well, we're in the middle of our season right there. There is a long push. Each week is a new set of challenges. You face that, you overcome a lot of that and continue to grow. Now you know what to expect in year two," Taylor said.
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"You expect to see that confidence, walk around with a little bit more swagger, approach each week with just more understanding of what is coming."
Jaguars confident in offensive line, Harrison ready to roll post-surgery
Jacksonville Jaguars offensive line coach Phil Rauscher smiles after the third and final day of a mandatory minicamp Monday, June 12, 2023 at TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville, Fla.
The Jaguars made it a point to address the team's offensive line this offseason, signing veteran center Mitch Morse to presumably replace incumbent starter Luke Fortner . The team also drafted former Missouri tackle Javon Foster in the fourth round of this year's draft, adding to the overall depth of the unit.
The team also brought back guards Ezra Cleveland and Brandon Scherff . Cleveland was an impending free agent and Scherff needed to rework part of his deal to remain with the team for one more season.
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The goal for Jacksonville is to see how the line looks after playing together as a complete unit, something the team accomplished just once (Week 18) last year.
"I feel pretty good about it. I think when you look out there, obviously we added [OL] Mitch Morse who's been a high-level starter in this league. We added Ezra [OL Ezra Cleveland] a year ago, or during the season, and I think he's to the point now where he's fully healthy, which wasn't maybe necessarily the case early. [OL] Brandon Scherff has been a good player here," Jaguars assistant general manager Ethan Waugh said earlier in May.
"I think we have kind of a unique tackle situation where you have Anton, who as a rookie, played very well. I think he played every snap, if not almost every snap. Then with Cam [OL Cam Robinson ] and [OL] Walker Little you have some versatility there. So I think a lot of teams in the league don't have two tackles they feel great about. We feel like we're pretty good at that position right now, and we'll let it sort itself out as to who is on the field."
Though it hasn't been explicitly said yet, Robinson remains the team's starting tackle, but will still compete with former second-round pick Walker Little, who has played plenty throughout his first three years with the team. Little is set to be a free agent following this season.
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For Harrison, the second-year tackle is excited to see how the line shakes out, noting with News4Jax last week that he's excited to continue the brotherhood the unit built last year.
"We pretty much got the same group as last year, added Mitch [Morse], Mitch fitted right in, so it was no drop-off there. So, we just keep building out brotherhood, keep trying to grow and be the best o-line in the NFL," Harrison told the local news station.
As for his shoulder injury, Harrison said that he's pushing to get to 100%. Harrison has not worked out fully thus far during the team's Organized Team Activities, but is close.
"I'm feeling good. I'm just trying to push it to get to 100% as far as I can," Harrison said. "But, I'm ready to get out there. Every day I'm out here, seeing everybody doing everything. I love football, so I want to be out here every day with my team competing."
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Demetrius Harvey is the Jacksonville Jaguars reporter for the Florida Times-Union. You can follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @Demetrius82 .
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This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jaguars' Anton Harrison playing with 'confidence' after rookie season
