Vision: Harris has above vision. He can identify cut back lanes and understands pursuit angles of the defenders.
Contact Balance: Harris goes down on first contact far too often for a power back. He’ll break the occasional tackle, but not as many as you would want.
Pass Catching: 35 career catches over his three-year stint at South Carolina but saw his production almost cut in half in 2020 and was taken off the field on a lot of passing downs. Harris doesn’t run the cleanest routes but he does showcase some ability to catch the ball consistently. There’s at least a baseline skill there.
Pass Blocking: Rarely used as a pass blocker and seemed to be taken off the field more and more on passing downs as the season went on.
Durability: Has been part of a committee backfield for his entire career and hasn’t missed any extended time with injury.
Change of Direction Skills: Not very agile. Harris is at his best when he can just run downhill. His movement skills are pedestrian at best.
Long Speed: Honestly, this is the weakest aspect of his game. He doesn’t have much “juice” and is oftentimes caught from behind. His speed can best be compared to the likes of Benny Snell or Elijah Holyfield.
Ball Security: Zero career fumbles on 358 career carries. Ball security isn’t an issue.
Creativity: Doesn’t have much creativity in his arsenal. He can cut back, but his lack of speed is a detriment. He’s more of a bowling ball running back with his best asset being momentum.
Strength: As mentioned, Harris doesn’t break a ton of tackles and isn’t the type of back to run over a defender but he does have an effective stiff arm that can aid in gaining an extra few yards when he has the chance to break it out.
Summary: I’m not sure what Harris’ reason for declaring was, but I can’t help but think that he would have been better served returning to South Carolina for another year. The other running back at South Carolina is in this year’s class as well and down the stretch of games as well as the season, Harris was the clear second choice back in the offense behind his teammate Zequandre White.
Filed by: Mike Hrynyshyn, Area Scout
Twitter: @MikeH_Draft