​ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler released his annual ranking of the top offensive tackles entering the 2026 NFL season, but the Jacksonville Jaguars’ Anton Harrison, along with another blocker, Cole Van Lanen, did not appear anywhere in the list. Van Lanen’s omission is understandable, given the relatively small sample of time he spent at tackle last season. Harrison, by contrast, had a notably solid year, which makes his exclusion from Fowler’s rankings particularly noteworthy.
Fowler’s method stands out because it blends the opinions of 70 NFL executives, coaches, and scouts who vote on the rankings. In addition to those firsthand assessments, the process incorporates research, interviews, and film analysis led by Matt Bowen. After compiling all of this information, Fowler publishes a top 10 list, highlights a handful of honorable mentions, and identifies which players received votes but did not crack the top tier.
In the end, Harrison did not appear in any category within Fowler’s framework. This is curious given his upward trajectory last season. According to publicly available metrics, Harrison showed progression in his play. For example, Pro Football Focus ranked him 29th among 92 eligible offensive tackles in pass-blocking efficiency. He also earned a run-blocking grade that tied him for 50th. While those numbers aren’t at the very top of the league, they do reflect a player who improved and began to demonstrate his potential at the professional level.
NFL talent evaluators may still want to see more from Harrison before he is considered among the elite at his position, but his potential has clearly drawn attention. One of the game’s most disruptive edge players, Will Anderson of the Houston Texans, publicly noted Harrison among the tackles that are most challenging to face, underscoring Harrison’s growing reputation in league circles.
Looking ahead to Harrison’s second season under offensive coordinator Liam Coen, there is optimism about continued development. Coach Grant Udinski spoke positively about Harrison’s long-term arc, emphasizing that the player’s ceiling is high and that growth is not guaranteed to follow a straight line. Udinski stressed that Harrison knows the path ahead and that the coaching staff are hopeful they can build on what he accomplished last year, adding that “progression is never linear, but hopefully we can continue to compound off the things that he built on last year.” He added that Harrison is a young lineman with a considerable ceiling, contingent on continued work and opportunity to refine his technique and consistency.
This piece originally appeared on Jaguars Wire, which noted that NFL talent evaluators left Anton Harrison off their OT rankings, a decision that some readers might find surprising in light of Harrison’s recent progression and the praise he’s received from peers who study the league’s trenches closely. The broader takeaway is that Harrison remains a figure to watch as the Jaguars look to build a more formidable offensive line around him, particularly as the team moves into Year 2 under Coen’s system and continues to refine its approach to pass protection and run blocking.