Falcons’ Zach Harrison showing some pass-rush skills

FLOWERY BRANCH – Falcons rookie defensive end Zach Harrison flashed some speed off the edge in the first padded practice on Monday.

Harrison, a third-round (75th overall) in the 2023 draft, lined up at left defensive end in the one-on-one drill against tackle Tyler Vrabel. He blasted off the ball and got a sack. The defenders went wild.

“Zach Harrison had a pretty good start to the week,” Falcons coach Arthur Smith said. “Like any rookie (he’s had) up and downs. I thought he came back from a day off and you saw him out there today. Those signs are encouraging signs. It’s a long journey for those guys. They will have ups and downs. How they handle failure, but so far, pretty pleased.”

Harrison was a top-five national recruit and the top-ranked defensive end coming out of high school. He played four seasons at Ohio State, racking up 97 tackles (24 for loss), 11 sacks and an interception.

“Like a lot of guys that we invested in early, he’s got a lot of room to develop,” Smith said of Harrison. “He’s got so much growth potential and he’s in a really good (defensive end position) room. With a really good developmental coach.”

The Falcons don’t have to rush Harrison onto the field.

“There’s not all this pressure, so we can build him up the right way,” Smith said. “If he’s ready to roll Week One and needs to start, he’ll do that. The signs are encouraging. The fundamentals and techniques, down after down. (If he) makes a mistake, (he) comes back and actually corrects it.”