GENERAL MANAGER TRENT BAALKE AND HEAD COACH DOUG PEDERSON
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
THURSDAY, APRIL 27, 2023
BAALKE: We felt we would still get one of the three guys we were targeting. Had an opportunity to
move back again. Definitely ended up with a player that was rated very high on our board, a lot of value.
BAALKE: (On what is liked of OL Anton Harrison) “There’s a lot of versatility, as well. We’ve got a plan for
him, for sure.”
BAALKE: (On OL Cam Robinson influencing the decision to draft a lineman) “Everything plays into the
draft. Everything plays into the pick. But, again, I can’t stress enough, our board was set. We knew it was
a pending situation for a while. But our board was set strictly on ability and the value of the player.
Coach and I talked a lot about it, just trust the board. Let’s walk away from the first round with a player
That we really like and covet, regardless of the position. There were multiple opportunities. If it was that
big a deal, we would obviously have made that pick and not traded back. We feel really good about how
the day went. We got a lot of picks to go here in day two and day three.”
PEDERSON: (On what coaching style OL Anton Harrison got at Oklahoma) “You can see it in his play. You
can see it in his development. Obviously when we get our hands on him, Coach Rauscher [Offensive Line
Coach Phil Rauscher] gets his hands on him, he’ll just be able to continue what he sort of has built, what
he’s put on tape. There’s a lot of consistency in his game. You love everything about his length and
athleticism, how he moves, his strength, all things as Trent mentioned that will fit us. We’re just excited
for Anton and just getting in that offensive line room, getting around the other guys in that room,
getting to work.”
BAALKE: (On if the draft pick was a difficult decision) “Again, without going into where we had guys
valued on the board, because that doesn’t help us long-term, we felt really good about the pick. There
was no sense in trying. Had opportunities to move back some more. We felt at that point in time there
was too much risk involved. We felt really good about the pick. Coach and I looked at each other and
said, let’s make the pick.”
PEDERSON: (On plans for OL Anton Harrison to start working in a specific position) “Yeah, obviously
tackle is the spot to learn. We’ll get him in here and get him going. The biggest thing is just getting him
around the other guys and get him in that room, get him with Phil [Offensive Line Coach Phil Rauscher],
Coach Washington [Assistant Offensive Line Coach Todd Washington], the guys, just start the learning
process. Right now, tackle will be the first primary spot for him, but as he develops and grows, just see
where he can best help us win games.
BAALKE: (On possibility of moving up a few spots in the draft with trades) “Yeah, absolutely. That was
one of the things that coach [Head Coach Doug Pederson] and I talked about as the thing was unfolding.
We knew we didn’t want to make any big moves back, but when the opportunity came to move one
back, pick up some draft capital, move two back, it was just too good a situation for us based on the way the board sat at the time. Then, when it got to the point where we made the pick, we just felt there was
too much risk in going any further back. We had some opportunities, like I said earlier, to move back
again.”
BAALKE: (On when the last time an offensive tackle was picked up in the first round) “No. First time in a
while, since I think the 2010 draft.”
BAALKE: (On feeling like the organization had to go the pass-rush route) “We didn’t have to go this
route. Like I said, we had some players valued. We stick with the board. The value of the pick is
important to us. That’s our philosophy. Right, wrong or indifferent, that’s how we set the board. It’s not
based on need; it’s based on the value of the pick. We felt at that time when we made the pick, he was
the highest-valued player on our board. We made the pick.”
BAALKE: (On setting the draft board up strategically) “That’s when you get into trouble, when
you know that the position group may be thinned out. There’s not enough numbers in the draft at, let’s
say, tackle. You start moving guys up, pushing their value above what their true value is. We try to set
the board. Coach and I worked tirelessly along with the other coaches and personnel staff, really worked
hard at it, making sure when we pick a guy, place him on the board I should say, that the value is right,
that we’re going to get that type of player when we make the pick. If we pick a player in the first round,
we want to look back and say, you know what, that was good value.”
BAALKE: (On any interactions with OL Anton Harrison that stood out to him) “For me, the interaction
that we had with him at the combine stood out. He’s a really a mature young man. Good head on his
shoulders. Spoke well about a lot of things. Spoke well of his family. That was important to
him, that’s important to us. Just really felt the culture fit was ideal for us.”
BAALKE: (On being able to evaluate OL Anton Harrison prior to drafting him) “The more you get around guys, especially get your hands on them, get to feel them, especially the bigger guys, O-linemen, D-
linemen, there’s some value in that. When you get the coach there, they cannot only feel the power, see them move in person, but then spend quality time with them, several hours on the board just talking to
them, getting a feel for his football IQ, just his passion for the game. He’s a young man that checked all
the boxes for us.”
