2019 Rookie Class: An Early Look at Damien Harris

In line to follow the steps of some of the best NFL running backs to come out of Alabama, Damien Harris returned to school to finish out his senior season and work on his development as a prospect. He’s led the Crimson Tide in rushing over the past two seasons, and while Josh Jacobs may be the flashy name coming out of Alabama, rest assured that Harris has all of the attributes to be a starting-caliber running back in the NFL.

As A Recruit

As the number one recruit coming out of the state of Kentucky in 2015, and the second-ranked back in the nation, Damien Harris was widely sought after by nearly every school in the Power 5 conferences. In early January, the 5’11”, 205-pound tailback committed to Alabama, a seemingly perfect match for a bruising back at his size.

Harris rushed for 6,748 yards in high school, scoring a total of 122 touchdowns, and was touted as the top incoming freshman running back in the nation.

At Nike’s The Opening, he tested out at a SPARQ rating of 126.93, running a 4.48-second 40-yard dash with a 37.9-inch vertical jump. For his size coming out of high school, these numbers were pretty staggering, and for comparison, Bryce Love scored just higher with a rating of 129.75, while Saquon Barkley scored a surprising 116.79.

Collegiate Career

[am4show have=’g1;’ guest_error=’sub_message’ user_error=’sub_message’ ]

Statistics from: Sports Reference

As was typical of most Alabama teams, the Crimson Tide offense was stacked at the running back positions, and Harris touched the ball just 50 times during his freshman season. In a year where junior running back Derrick Henry rushed for over 2,200 yards and 28 touchdowns, it makes sense why Harris’ usage was so low initially. Senior running back Kenyan Drake handled a majority of the pass-catching duties and spelled Henry when needed. Harris managed to rush 46 times for 157 yards and just one touchdown, but things would change in the 2016 season.

As a sophomore in 2016, Harris led a two-headed monster backfield with Bo Scarbrough which led the Crimson Tide to a runner-up finish in the College Football Championship game. Harris led the Tide that season with 146 rushes for 1,037 yards (7.1 yards per carry) but only found the end zone twice on the ground. It was Scarbrough who was the red zone back, rushing for 11 touchdowns that season.

Running behind one of the best offensive lines in college football, and with very impressive yards per carry numbers, Harris figured to put on a show in his 2017 junior season in preparation for the NFL draft. In Alabama’s run to become National Champions that season, Harris rushed for 11 fewer carries (135), and for only 1,000 yards total on the ground. However, he did improve his touchdown totals, scoring 11.

He improved his YPC to 7.4 in 2017, and most would attribute the low statistics to the fact that Alabama blew out most of their opponents that season, leaving more room for younger players to see the field.

While most scouts and reporters expected the talented running back to forgo his senior season and declare for the draft, Harris decided to come back for his senior season to develop as a prospect and prepare one more year.

As a senior in 2018, Harris carried the ball 150 times for just 876 yards (5.8 YPC) and scored a total of nine touchdowns. He caught 22 passes for 204 yards which was a large improvement over his last season, but certainly, the decrease in total yardage is not exactly what scouts want to see. Again, Harris was challenged by younger running backs in the Crimson Tide offense and due to most games being blowouts, he saw less action late in the game.

Athletic Profile

Harris breaks away from the mold of traditional running backs Alabama has produced over the last several years, but fits seamlessly into the “feature back” frame that NFL scouts are looking for. At 5’11” and now 215 pounds after dropping weight during the past two off-seasons, Harris is back in proper shape and could be ready to take on the workload of an every down back at the next level as he develops. Physically, he looks like the next Mark Ingram.

While he may not make many jaw-dropping plays, you can expect Harris to do all the things that NFL teams are looking for. His low center of gravity, and jump-cut ability allows Harris to navigate in the trenches with the ability to quickly fit through holes and break into the secondary. A majority of his long runs come from breaking tackles as he is averaged nearly five additional yards after contact.

He ran a 4.48-second 40 yard-dash coming out of high school and has worked hard the past two seasons to drop some weight in order to get back to that level of speed. The Combine will provide scouts with an excellent idea of just how much speed they can expect from Harris.

Strengths

• Fresh legs. 21 years old, 477 total collegiate carries: he’s ready for an NFL career.
• High football IQ, with tremendous ball security.
• A true “fall forward” back with the ability to power over defenders in the trenches.
• Shows great vision and anticipation between gaps with the ability to adjust quickly to blocking schemes.

Weaknesses

• Lacks top end speed to break away from secondary defenders on his own.
• Poor lateral movement within the gaps, won’t make you miss with anything other than running over defenders with power.
• Good but not great pass blocker. Shows habit to set himself in one position rather than adjusting to blitz schemes.

NFL Draft Projection

Harris could end up being the first to the third running back taken in 2019 NFL Draft. There are no “top-tier” backs who stand out above the rest, and I would expect either Harris or teammate Josh Jacobs to be the first off the board.

Either way, Harris is a second-to-early-third round draft pick this season, and in dynasty leagues, you are going to want to grab Harris early while you still can and watch him develop on the field. The first round will most likely stay defensive focused. I would love to see Harris fall to the Philadelphia Eagles or New Orleans Saints.

The Scouting Combine will give Harris an excellent opportunity to display the raw power that he possesses, while also giving him a chance to show areas that he has improved in such as pass blocking and catching. Both of those areas have already been pointed out minor weaknesses in his game, and as he prepares for the draft, scouts will want to see his potential to grow in those traits.

Dynasty Value

While Harris may take a few years to develop in PPR format leagues, expect him to be an effective runner early on as a rookie, with a developing ability to get more involved in the passing game. Given the opportunity, his impressive balance and tackle-breaking abilities will certainly earn him playing time in the NFL. That alone gives him immediate worth in dynasty leagues, and he should not be slept on. The speed that he shows up with at the Combine will be a determining factor of how high he gets drafted.

In DLF’s first look at our January rookie draft rankings, Harris comes out with an ADP of 9.00, being selected late in the first rounds of drafts. As we move into February, we’ll get a clearer picture into Harris’ value in startup drafts, and again as mentioned already, expect the Combine to be a big factor as to how scouts value Harris as a runner.

[/am4show]