Positional ranking: #3

Big Board ranking: #45

 

Overview

Position: RB

College: Alabama

Class: Senior

Age: 22

 

Measurables

Height: 5’10 1/8”

Weight: 216 lbs.

Arm length: 30 3/4″

Hand size: 9 3/4″

 

Athletic testing

40-yard dash: 4.57 sec.

Vertical jump: 37.0”

Broad jump: 121.0”

Bench press: 16 reps

3-cone drill: DNP

Short shuttle: DNP

 

Strengths

North-south runner with a slashing style. Strong and determined. Very decisive. Follows his blockers. Keeps a low center of gravity. Good acceleration and underrated overall juice. Plus balance and vision. Uses a jump cut to get through the hole. Intelligent. Knows how to maximize yardage in the open field by weaving to kill angles. Sheds arm tackles and shifts his shoulders to avoid defenders. Effective stiff arm. Patient bouncing runs outside. Has excellent feet on the sideline. Quality receiver. Willing pass protector. Durable and reliable. Zero career fumbles on 528 total touches at Alabama.

 

Weaknesses

Doesn’t have a ton of moves in the open field. Mostly relies on getting to the second level and killing angles to make people miss. Long speed will be average against NFL defenders.

 

NFL comparison

Mark Ingram – This isn’t just an easy out to compare Damien Harris to another former Alabama standout, as both he and Ingram are physical runners that simply get the job done in all facets—from running between the tackles to catching passes out of the backfield.

 

Conclusion

Overall, Damien Harris one-cut runner that hits the hole and follows his blockers, which should make him an easy sell for NFL coaching staffs. Whether Harris is drafted to be a feature back or a significant part of a committee, I think he’s worth considering at the Day 1/Day 2 turn.