PROSPECT SUMMARY - HASKELL GARRETT

You’ll be hard-pressed to find a more impressive story than the one Haskell Garrett boasts in the 2021 NFL Draft process. Garrett entered the 2020 season as a rotational defender but nearly saw his season (and life) abruptly ended during a summer incident. Garrett, acting as a good samaritan, interjected in a fight and was shot through the cheeks. Yet, when the Big Ten season opened in the fall, Garrett was there and taking on a much more prominent role in the Buckeyes' defensive front. Garrett projects well as a scheme-diverse rotational talent thanks to the vast array of usages that he’s been assigned throughout the course of his tenure in Columbus. He should be considered predominantly a B-gap defender at the pro game. Garrett’s motor and leadership are his best qualities and would be a welcomed complementary piece on both odd and even fronts.

Ideal Role: 4i/5 tech defensive end.

Scheme Fit: Single gap, odd front.

FILM EVALUATION

Written by Kyle Crabbs

Games watched: Nebraska (2020), Penn State (2020), Michigan State (2020), Northwestern (2020), Clemson (2020)

Best Game Studied: Northwestern (2020)

Worst Game Studied: Clemson (2020)

First Step Explosiveness: Garrett does claim early wins but they’re more of a byproduct of snap anticipation than they are actual bounce and spring. Consider his get-off above average, but he’s not going to overwhelm quick-footed interior OL on penetration reps. He does not offer the quickness vertically to warrant consideration to play any reps outside as a defensive end.

Flexibility: Garrett is fairly fluid but I wouldn’t classify him as especially bendy. He’s got natural leverage and enough coil through his knees to play with low pad level and sit underneath blockers. When he’s forced to turn the corner on opposing blockers, he needs to claim wins early to get hip to hip, asking him to reduce and drop the inside hip to take corners at steep angles won’t produce regular results.

Hand Counters: There are some instances where Garrett can claim a first-strike counter and uncover into the gap. When he wins there, he’s at his best. But how sustainable that model is with his unideal length is a major question mark. Garrett does well to set his hands inside and secure a fit when playing through the chest or half-man and looking to win his leverage in close quarters.

Hand Power: Garrett offers plenty of juice to pop and stun blockers in both pass protection or when negotiating blocks in the run game. He’s done well to turn losses into stalemates when he’s given extra attention thanks to that punch power and leverage. But he’s also not going to handle double teams at a high volume in the pro game against bigger, faster, stronger blockers. And his strikes will lose some luster when he’s out-reached by NFL OL, too.

Run Defending: You love the motor and hustle to both scrape down the line of scrimmage or work in head-up situations to mirror and stay just overtop of the play enough to let pursuit to close in. Garrett isn’t going to shuck late and finish with consistency, he’s more of a slasher type who can cut into the POA and find wins.

Effort: His collar is about as blue as it gets. He’s tireless in pursuit and rally skills, showing persistent effort to pull off of blocks and try to find room to scrape and flow. You’ll routinely find him 10-plus yards downfield on runs to the perimeter. Because he’s athletically modest, the second-effort is essential to help keep his play impact noticeable.

Football IQ: Garrett is a late bloomer in the Buckeyes program and he’s only finding high-volume reps and splash plays during the abbreviated 2020 season. There are some concerns of a small sample size for high-level play and even his successes don’t come without limitations. He’s likely to endure a setback initially upon entering the league as the level of competition jumps just as he’s hitting his stride.

Lateral Mobility: Garrett is more agile in short spaces than he is fluid. His change of direction abilities aren’t as impressive as his first initial change of trajectory — asking him to string together dynamic lateral steps takes him out of where he’s best as a “get north” defender with enough wiggle to cross face against an overset or mirror a flashing ball carrier. Garrett has the hustle and motor to get down the line, but you don’t see him chasing down very many plays from the backside.

Functional Strength: Garrett will do well to break even on some double-team looks, but he shouldn’t be considered a nose and he doesn’t really play with a lot of raw power and doesn’t impose his will to collapse pockets and create constricted throwing platforms for opposing quarterbacks. Garrett will handle one-on-one blocks just fine, but he doesn’t illustrate the length or upper-body power to press himself clean and consistently get off the block if teams try to run off his hip.

Versatility: Consider him a viable option in both the A and B gaps, but there’s a caveat: he must be in one-gap assignments. He lacks the anchor and raw lower-body power to play sufficiently as a two-gapper or nose tackle. His pass-rush skills aren’t as appealing for the pro game, but he can find some wins on the early downs if teams look to throw against his unit.

Prospect Comparison: Dre’Mont Jones (2019 NFL Draft, Denver Broncos)