Why Undrafted?: Desmond Harrison, OT, West Georgia
By Charlie Campbell, @draftcampbell
Four years ago, we started a series of articles on why certain prospects went undrafted. In that series, I reach out to sources with NFL teams to find out why their organizations passed on drafting a given player, and/or, what were the reasons for other teams to pass on that prospect. We got a lot of positive reader feedback about the series, so we decided to expand in the genre to investigate why some prospects slid in the draft. Three years ago, we started the Why the Slide? series, and this year it is back. Feel free to email me requests for Why the Slide? and Why Undrafted? at [email protected]. I can’t promise to get to all of them, but I will do my best and definitely will respond to the email.
West Georgia offensive tackle Desmond Harrison is a prospect who I have gotten a lot of requests for in the Why Undrafted? series. During the 2017 season, WalterFootball.com was the first draft site to write about Harrison being a legit NFL prospect. Scouting sources said the 6-foot-6, 292-pounder had an early-round skill set with athleticism, quickness and length. That was further illustrated with his impressive workout at the NFL Scouting Combine. Harrison was known to have off-the-field issues, with former Texas head coach Charlie Strong having dismissed Harrison from the Longhorns program because of failed drug tests. Even with the off-the-field concerns, Harrison was projected to be a mid-rounder because of his physical talent at a premium position that was lacking early-round talent. Thus, it was a surprise when Harrison went undrafted.
In speaking to team sources it was the off-the-field issues that caused teams to pass on Harrison. Sources said he did not adequately ease concerns that his problems were a thing of the past. Some teams said they removed Harrison from their draft boards during their pre-draft meetings in April. Too many teams around the league felt that way about Harrison, leading to him falling to the undrafted ranks.
After going undrafted, Harrison signed with the Cleveland Browns, and that was an excellent choice for Harrison. The Browns have been willing to work with players who possess off-the-field issues, and perhaps listening to the trials and tribulations of wide receiver Josh Gordon will help scare Harrison straight. The Browns lost Joe Thomas to retirement this offseason and have a hole at left tackle. Second-round pick Austin Corbett is expected to fill that void, but Harrison has a shot at competing for the job. Harrison has a great opportunity with the Browns, and it will be interesting to see if he is capable of making the most of it.
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