2019 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Damien Harris

2019 NFL Draft Scouting Reports - Choose Player 2019 NFL Draft Player Previews - Home Johnathan Abram, S, Mississippi State Trey Adams, OT, Washington Nasir Adderley, S, Delaware Josh Allen, LB, Kentucky Zach Allen, DE, Boston College DeAndre Baker, CB, Georgia Nick Bosa, DE, Ohio State Garrett Bradbury, C, N.C. State A.J. Brown, WR, Ole Miss Derrick Brown, DT, Auburn Marquise Brown, WR, Oklahoma Brian Burns, DE/OLB, Florida State Devin Bush, LB, Michigan Parris Campbell, WR, Ohio State Raekwon Davis, DT, Alabama Andre Dillard, OT, Washington State Noah Fant, TE, Iowa Jaylon Ferguson, DE, Louisiana Tech Clelin Ferrell, DE, Clemson Cody Ford, OT, Oklahoma Ryan Finley, QB, N.C. State Rashan Gary, DT, Michigan Will Grier, QB, West Virginia Terrill Hanks, LB, New Mexico State Damien Harris, RB, Alabama N'Keal Harry, WR, Arizona State Dwayne Haskins, QB, Ohio State Justin Herbert, QB, Oregon T.J. Hockenson, TE, Iowa Joe Jackson, DE, Miami Josh Jacobs, RB, Alabama Jalen Jelks, DE/OLB, Oregon Elgton Jenkins, C, Mississippi State Daniel Jones, QB, Duke Dremont Jones, DT, Ohio State Tre Lamar, LB, Clemson Dexter Lawrence, DT, Clemson Chris Lindstrom, G, Boston College Greg Little, OT, Ole Miss Drew Lock, QB, Missouri Bryce Love, RB, Stanford Julian Love, CB, Notre Dame Erik McCoy, C, Texas A&M D.K. Metcalf, WR, Ole Miss Trayvon Mullen, CB, Clemson Byron Murphy, CB, Washington Kyler Murray, QB, Oklahoma Ed Oliver, DT, Houston Amani Oruwariye, CB, Penn State Shea Patterson, QB, Michigan Jachai Polite, DE, Florida Taylor Rapp, S, Washington Riley Ridley, WR, Georgia Dalton Risner, OT, Kansas State Deebo Samuel, WR, South Carolina Miles Sanders, RB, Penn State Darnell Savage, S, Maryland Jeff Simmons, DT, Mississippi State Irv Smith Jr., TE, Alabama Jarrett Stidham, QB, Auburn Montez Sweat, DE, Mississippi State Jawaan Taylor, OT, Florida Juan Thornhill, S, Virginia Clayton Thorson, QB, Northwestern Jerry Tillery, DT, Notre Dame Mike Weber, RB, Ohio State Devin White, LB, LSU Christian Wilkins, DT, Clemson Greedy Williams, CB, LSU Joejuan Williams, CB, Vanderbilt Jonah Williams, OT, Alabama Quinnen Williams, DT, Alabama Mack Wilson, LB, Alabama Oshane Ximines, LB, Old Dominion Rock Ya-Sin, CB, Temple

Damien Harris, 5-10/216 Running Back Alabama

Damien Harris Scouting Report
By Charlie Campbell

Strengths:

Three-down starter potential

Instinctive, natural runner

Dangerous one-cut downhill runner

Receiving ability

Soft hands

Runs good routes

Good cutting ability

Tough to tackle at the second level

Picks up yards after contact

Thick build

Short-yardage ability

Excellent body lean to run low

Runs behind pads

Bends at the knee

Keeps feet going after contact

Quick enough to hit the hole

Good vision

Wears down defenses

Decisive runner

Effective short-yardage back

Weaknesses:

Lack of speed

Can be caught from behind

Not a fast back

Summary: Alabama has been churning out a steady stream of NFL running backs under Nick Saban, and Harris will keep that tradition alive along with Crimson Tide teammate Josh Jacobs. Harris was the starter over Jacobs, but Jacobs will be drafted ahead of Harris in 2019. Still, over the past three seasons, Harris was a steady contributor for Alabama.

On only 145 carries in 2016, Harris averaged 7.2 yards per carry for 1,040 yards with two touchdowns. He had 14 receptions for 99 yards, too. Harris was Alabama’s leading rusher for the season. Harris then ran really well for the Crimson Tide in 2017, averaging 7.4 yards per carry for 1,000 yards with 11 touchdowns. He also had 12 receptions for 91 yards. As a senior, Harris averaged 5.8 yards per carry in 2018 for 876 yards and nine touchdowns. He also had 22 receptions for 204 yards.

For the NFL, Harris could be a three-down starter who is the engine of a steady rushing attack. He has good bulk along with knee bend and ability to run behind his yards. That combination makes him tough to tackle and leads to him picking up yards after contact. Harris would be an excellent fit in a zone-blocking system because he thrives as a one-cut downhill runner. He also has good vision, cutting ability, and decisive running to hit the hole. On top of handling a larger work load, Harris does well in short-yardage situations.

What makes Harris more of a second-day talent than a first-rounder is a lack of speed. He is quicker than fast. He has the speed to hit the hole and accelerate to the second level, but he can be caught from behind on long carries, and that will be seen even more in the NFL given the faster defenders. For the pro game, Harris is not a back who is a home run hitter with elite speed.

In the passing game, Harris is an asset. He did some real damage catching passes out of the backfield. On check downs, Harris is very dangerous to rip off yards in chunks. He has soft hands and runs good routes. In the open field, Harris is tough to tackle. He uses his powerful frame to run through tackles from defensive backs. Harris also has excellent balance to stay on his feet even when defenders go low on him. If he is not a starter, he should be a really good backup back with his ability to contribute in both phases and serve as a receiving outlet.

In surveying sources at a handful of teams, they believe that Harris will be a second- or third-round pick.



Player Comparison: Doug Martin. Harris’ running style and versatility remind me of Martin. Both backs have a thick build with quickness but not great speed. They also can contribute as a receivers. In the NFL, I could see Harris being a back of similar caliber to Martin.

NFL Matches: Oakland, Miami, Washington, Carolina, Houston, Kansas City, Philadelphia

There are a few teams that could consider taking Harris on the second day of the 2019 NFL Draft. Perhaps the highest that Harris could hope to go would be to Oakland with 34th-overall pick as the Raiders need a running back of the future. Harris would be a good scheme fit for Jon Gruden.

Miami needs to replace Frank Gore, and Harris could form an excellent tandem with the brittle Kenyan Drake.

Washington could consider Harris. The Redskins have Adrian Peterson returning, but with Derrius Guice coming off a serious injury and having character issues, the Redskins could consider another back. Harris could be in play for one of Washington’s third-round picks.

Carolina could use some running back depth behind Christian McCaffrey. If Harris gets to the third round, he could be an option for the Panthers.

A trio of playoff teams have a pair of second-round picks, and Harris could be a fit for any of those three teams. The Texans need to upgrade their running back talent, and Harris would be a really good value for them if he fell to one of their second-round picks. The Eagles need a No. 1 running back, and Harris would be a good scheme fit for Philadelphia. He also would provide nice bang for the buck with one of the organization’s second-round picks. At the end of the second round, Harris could be in play for Kansas City, which needs a replacement for Kareem Hunt. With the Chiefs’ original pick or the one from the Rams, Harris could be in play for them.

2019 NFL Draft Scouting Reports - Choose Player 2019 NFL Draft Player Previews - Home Johnathan Abram, S, Mississippi State Trey Adams, OT, Washington Nasir Adderley, S, Delaware Josh Allen, LB, Kentucky Zach Allen, DE, Boston College DeAndre Baker, CB, Georgia Nick Bosa, DE, Ohio State Garrett Bradbury, C, N.C. State A.J. Brown, WR, Ole Miss Derrick Brown, DT, Auburn Marquise Brown, WR, Oklahoma Brian Burns, DE/OLB, Florida State Devin Bush, LB, Michigan Parris Campbell, WR, Ohio State Raekwon Davis, DT, Alabama Andre Dillard, OT, Washington State Noah Fant, TE, Iowa Jaylon Ferguson, DE, Louisiana Tech Clelin Ferrell, DE, Clemson Cody Ford, OT, Oklahoma Ryan Finley, QB, N.C. State Rashan Gary, DT, Michigan Will Grier, QB, West Virginia Terrill Hanks, LB, New Mexico State Damien Harris, RB, Alabama N'Keal Harry, WR, Arizona State Dwayne Haskins, QB, Ohio State Justin Herbert, QB, Oregon T.J. Hockenson, TE, Iowa Joe Jackson, DE, Miami Josh Jacobs, RB, Alabama Jalen Jelks, DE/OLB, Oregon Elgton Jenkins, C, Mississippi State Daniel Jones, QB, Duke Dremont Jones, DT, Ohio State Tre Lamar, LB, Clemson Dexter Lawrence, DT, Clemson Chris Lindstrom, G, Boston College Greg Little, OT, Ole Miss Drew Lock, QB, Missouri Bryce Love, RB, Stanford Julian Love, CB, Notre Dame Erik McCoy, C, Texas A&M D.K. Metcalf, WR, Ole Miss Trayvon Mullen, CB, Clemson Byron Murphy, CB, Washington Kyler Murray, QB, Oklahoma Ed Oliver, DT, Houston Amani Oruwariye, CB, Penn State Shea Patterson, QB, Michigan Jachai Polite, DE, Florida Taylor Rapp, S, Washington Riley Ridley, WR, Georgia Dalton Risner, OT, Kansas State Deebo Samuel, WR, South Carolina Miles Sanders, RB, Penn State Darnell Savage, S, Maryland Jeff Simmons, DT, Mississippi State Irv Smith Jr., TE, Alabama Jarrett Stidham, QB, Auburn Montez Sweat, DE, Mississippi State Jawaan Taylor, OT, Florida Juan Thornhill, S, Virginia Clayton Thorson, QB, Northwestern Jerry Tillery, DT, Notre Dame Mike Weber, RB, Ohio State Devin White, LB, LSU Christian Wilkins, DT, Clemson Greedy Williams, CB, LSU Joejuan Williams, CB, Vanderbilt Jonah Williams, OT, Alabama Quinnen Williams, DT, Alabama Mack Wilson, LB, Alabama Oshane Ximines, LB, Old Dominion Rock Ya-Sin, CB, Temple

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