4. Nick Harris, IOL, Washington
Height: 6’1″ Weight: 302
40-Yard Dash: 5.1 seconds
Bench Press: 20 reps
Vertical Jump: 29.5 inches
Broad Jump: 8 feet 7 inches
3-Cone Drill: N/A
20-Yard Shuttle: N/A
60-Yard Shuttle: N/A
Bio: Nick Harris was a three-star offensive lineman coming out of Junipero Serra High School in California during the 2016 recruiting class, but his phone was not exactly ringing off the hook. Washington was the only FBS program to offer him a scholarship, so Harris joined the Huskies.
He has been a part of Washington’s offensive line the past four seasons, beginning back in 2016 as a true freshman. Harris started four games, seeing time at both guard spots. He spent his sophomore season as the starting right guard for the Huskies, and was moved to center for his junior season and has been Washington’s starting center the past two years. Harris parlayed his senior campaign into a spot down in Mobile for the Senior Bowl.
Stat to Know: Pro Football Focus charted Harris with just four sacks allowed over the past three seasons, during which he played 1,244 pass-blocking snaps.
Strengths: There is a reason many evaluators look at Harris and see a scheme-specific center for zone blocking teams. His lateral movement skills and ability in space jump off the film when you are studying him. Harris is able to get in front of plays and operate in space, and Washington’s offense tasked its offensive lineman with blocking on a ton of screens and run/pass option plays that required Harris to move sideline-to-sideline. On zone blocking designs Harris is at his best. He hustles and uses every trick in the arsenal to execute those reach blocks or get his helmet in front of his nearest defender.
A great example of how Harris functions in a zone scheme is this play against the University of Utah:
Harris is responsible for the defensive tackle playing on the inside shoulder of the left guard in a 2i technique. This is a difficult reach block, but he sets the stage for it with quick footwork off the snap, pivoting his toes to a 45-degree angle giving him the right glide path to execute the block. Then he uses a rip technique of his own, hooking his right arm under the right arm of the defensive tackle, stopping him in his tracks.
Harris struggled on gap/power designs early in his career but with some added strength over the past few seasons, he showed improvement on those plays this past year. His ability to use upper body strength when singled-up, or on double-teams, has vastly improved over the past season.
In pass protection, there are some weaknesses but he shows the ability to fight in a phone booth as well as re-anchoring when he loses the initial punch. He also does a great job of looking for work when he is uncovered, and his sense of timing in those moments is nearly perfect. Watch this play, for example, and you will almost see Harris itching to help, but he waits to make sure there is not a last second blitzing linebacker:
Weaknesses: Harris does play with a wide base at times, especially as a pass-blocker, which exposes him to some bull rushing moves and also makes it tougher for him to counter pass rushing moves from more talented defenders. He also gets a bit handsy at times, which is something to watch for. There were times on film when he could have been flagged but did not, and we all know how holding gets called in the NFL.
There are also some remaining questions about his scheme fit in a gap/power heavy offense. Part of this might be just how well he translates to a zone-based offense, with his combination of athleticism, ability in space and technique. However, looking at his 2019 film there is enough to make a fit in a more gap-based offense a solid marriage.
Conclusion: Harris is an experienced player who, according to PFF grading, has improved every single season of his collegiate career. He has experience playing at both guard and at center, and while his size probably makes him a center only in the NFL, creative teams might be willing to give him a shot at guard and he could at least be a depth option at guard in the league. But his athleticism, technique and growth at the gap/power part of the game have his arrow trending in the right direction.
Comparison: Harris seems like a player in the David Andrews mold at the next level. Before his health scare last season, Andrews was a heady player on the inside of the New England Patriots’ offense trusted with protecting Tom Brady’s A-Gaps, but who also handled zone-blocking designs extremely well.