Ohio State returning 2 of Top 4 defensive players in Power 5 football, per PFF

When Ohio State’s defense takes the field this year, it will have two of the Top 4 returning defensive players in Power 5 football, according to Pro Football Focus (PFF). The website released the grades this week.

According to PFF, Ohio State defensive linemen Zach Harrison and Haskell Garrett ranked as two of the four highest-graded players on that side of the football. Harrison is in the No. 1 spot while Garrett comes in at No. 4.

PFF’s grades only include player at the Power 5 level with over 200 snaps. Here’s the complete Top 4:

Highest graded returning Power 5 Defenders (200+ snaps)

1. Zach Harrison, Ohio State – 88.8

2. Nik Bonitto, Oklahoma – 88.4
3. DeMarvin Leal, Texas A&M – 88.3

4. Haskell Garrett, Ohio State – 88.1 pic.twitter.com/cGEFGfwHTb

— PFF College (@PFF_College) June 28, 2021

Harrison produced 4.5 tackles for loss, 2 sacks and 2 pass break-ups to go along with 14 total tackles during the 2020 campaign. Garrett racked up 20 stops with 4 for loss, 2 sacks and an interception.

Both Harrison and Garrett will play critical roles for the Buckeyes defensively during the 2021 season. They’ll have big shoes to fill, with the Buckeyes losing Jonathon Cooper and Tommy Togiai up front, but PFF believes the duo is more than capable of stepping up.

Dustin Schutte

Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB