2018 NFL Draft prospect profile: Breaking down Harold Landry’s potential fit with the 49ers
By Peter Panacy
The San Francisco 49ers need help in the pass rush in 2018, and Boston College EDGE Harold Landry might be the best player available when it’s time to select in the NFL Draft.
The San Francisco 49ers better look to address their pass-rushing needs in the 2018 NFL Draft after wrapping up last year tied for 26th in sacks (30).
San Francisco’s leading pass-rusher a year ago, EDGE Elvis Dumervil, has already been released. And the way things stand now, the only true edge benders the Niners have on roster are Arik Armstead and former Los Angeles Chargers EDGE Jeremiah Attaochu.
Selecting ninth overall in the 2018 NFL Draft, the 49ers aren’t likely to land the top outside pass-rusher in this year’s draft class, NC State’s Bradley Chubb, who’ll probably end up going to the Indianapolis Colts (No. 6) or Tampa Bay Buccaneers (No. 7).
So that means a second-tier option, should general manager John Lynch focus on this need first.
Boston College’s Harold Landry would have been a top-10 selection had he come out after his 16.5-sack campaign in 2016. He stayed on for his senior season, though, and was limited to just 8.5 sacks over eight games, largely due to a nagging ankle injury.
| Tackles | Def Int | Fumbles | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | School | Conf | Class | Pos | G | Solo | Ast | Tot | Loss | Sk | Int | Yds | Avg | TD | PD | FR | Yds | TD | FF |
| *2014 | Boston College | ACC | FR | DL | 6 | 6 | 4 | 10 | 1.5 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 2015 | Boston College | ACC | SO | DL | 12 | 38 | 22 | 60 | 16.0 | 3.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | |||
| *2016 | Boston College | ACC | JR | DE | 12 | 34 | 16 | 50 | 22.0 | 16.5 | 1 | 20 | 20.0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 7 | ||
| *2017 | Boston College | ACC | SR | DE | 8 | 22 | 16 | 38 | 8.5 | 5.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Career | Boston College | 100 | 58 | 158 | 48.0 | 25.0 | 1 | 20 | 20.0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 10 |
Provided by CFB at Sports Reference: View Original Table
Generated 3/30/2018.
Averaging a sack-plus per game still isn’t bad, although Landry is no longer considered a top-10 player.
Still, would he be in play for the 49ers at No. 9?
Where Harold Landry Wins
The best outside pass-rushers are able to create a true bend, nearly reaching a 45-degree angle to the ground.
Landry does this, and you can catch some of these moves in the film below:
And here’s what NFL.com draft analyst Lance Zierlein had to say about him:
"Fluid athlete with good twitch. Flies out of the gates with no false steps. Long-strider who takes early leads on races to the edge. Uses loose hips and upper body turn to create an angular, leaning target that is hard to punch squarely. Limbo-stick edge-bender. Has flexibility to drop way under a tackle’s hands and can corner with a tight turn and plus burst to the quarterback."
Landry was also a top performer at the 2018 NFL Scouting Combine, registering a 4.19 time in the 20-yard shuttle drill — a good measure for pass-rushers.
So the speed is there, as is the sheer moving skills.
Where Harold Landry Loses
Some projections view Landry more of a 3-4 outside linebacker than a true 4-3 EDGE.
This might be irrelevant, though, as good pass-rushers tend to thrive in either system. Still, Landry’s smallish 6-foot-3, 252-pound frame might not be quite enough to overpower higher-level offensive tackles at the pro level.
In addition to that, Zierlein points out some notable weaknesses to Landry’s game:
"Burst-oriented rusher in need of a more diverse rush approach. Still learning to string moves together. Primary rush counter is a basic, inside move. Hasn’t learned to tie edge burst with hand work to help soften the edge. Long tackles can be a deterrent. Upper body strength is below average. Hasn’t shown consistent ability to convert his edge speed into power."
The lack of inside pass-rushing moves, in addition to an apparent lack of strength, creates problems. 49ers fans may recall another EDGE, who suffered a similar fate at the NFL level, former Niners linebacker Corey Lemonier.
Lemonier was frequently pushed behind the pocket, unable to generate an inside move and not strong enough to overpower good tackles. That led to him being an easy bust for San Francisco.
Would Landry be on the same trajectory?
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Matching the Fit with the 49ers’ Need
Landry is still an intriguing prospect, immediately filling a need the 49ers have in this year’s draft.
At No. 9, the value might not quite be there. What would increase that would be if general manager John Lynch was able to trade down into the middle of Round 1, landing additional draft capital and using his first selection on a player like Landry.
Easier said than done, though.
It would be a reach if San Francisco grabbed Landry at No. 9. But that doesn’t mean he’d be without immediate impact.
There are also some concerns about his open field tackling, as well as his abilities to stop the run, meaning we’d likely see him as a situational pass-rusher at first.
Some strength and conditioning, paired with better technique, could turn Landry into a prolific force on the defensive side of the ball.
Next: 5 worst 49ers' NFL Draft picks of the last decade
Should the Niners go this route, that’s exactly what they’d be hoping for this season and beyond.