Tag: najee harris alabama

Rookie Rundown: RB Najee Harris, Alabama

Harris has the skills and pedigree needed to thrive.

Alabama has churned out a few quality NFL running backs in recent years, and the next in line appears to be Najee Harris. The burly but athletic specimen has all of the necessary tools to shine over three downs of action in the pros.

A highly recruited prep star, Harris bided his time in the Alabama program behind eventual NFL backs, including Damien Harris in 2017 and Josh Jacobs in ’18. When it finally became time to shine, he produced strong numbers — only to eclipse them in 2020’s abbreviated campaign.

Height: 6-foot-2
Weight: 230 pounds
40 time: TBD (4.52 estimated)

Harris did not run at either of Alabama’s Pro Days, due to a minor ankle injury suffered late in 2020’s season. He is expected to be fine soon enough, so the 40 time is an estimate based on past reports from his workouts with the team.

The 2019 junior took over as the primary starter for the Crimson Tide and earned second-team All-SEC honors. His production alone would have been enough for a high draft stock, but Harris opted to return for his senior season, and it paid off in a big way.

Table: Najee Harris NCAA stats (2018-20)

Year
School
Class
Gm*
Rushing
Receiving
Att
Yds
Avg
TD
Rec
Yds
Avg
TD
2017
Alabama
FR
10
61
370
6.1
3
6
45
7.5
0
2018
Alabama
SO
15
117
783
6.7
4
4
7
1.8
0
2019
Alabama
JR
13
209
1,224
5.9
13
27
304
11.3
7
2020
Alabama
SR
13
251
1,466
5.8
26
43
425
9.9
4
Career
638
3,843
6.0
46
80
781
9.8
11

*includes postseason/bowl games

The summation of his time at Alabama: Harris finished as the school’s all-time leader in rushing touchdowns (46), total touchdowns (57), and rushing yards (3,843). He won the Doak Walker Award in 2020 as the nation’s best back, and Harris also received first-team All-SEC recognition. No player scored more total touchdowns in 2020.

Pros

  • Blend of size-speed-power-hands creates a unique weapon for clever playcallers
  • Moves more nimbly than size suggests — displays a swift stop-and-go move that creates whiffs. Harris has plus lateral ability and makes people miss with regularity
  • Leaping ability to leave his feet for extra yardage
  • Experienced running downfield routes out of the backfield
  • Quality hands as a receiver
  • Quicker than fast — explosive in a short area
  • Patient enough with the vision and anticipatory skills needed as a pro
  • Excellent ball security
  • Tremendous balance and body control through contact for a back of his size
  • Runs with an attitude, especially around the stripe
  • Feet are constantly in motion
  • Respectable stiff arm and an effective swipe to brush off smaller defenders
  • Able to get to the perimeter fast enough to get into the second level on zone stretches
  • Waited for his opportunity in a crowded backfield and delivered when called upon — showed he can come in cold and immediately contribute as well as hold up to the rigors of being the featured back
  • Only a moderate amount of touches over four years (718)
  • Quite capable as a blocker in pass protection

Cons

  • Coming off a minor ankle injury
  • Super aggressive, which can get him into trouble at times
  • Violent nature of play will expose him to injuries and/or a shortened NFL career
  • Top-line speed won’t run away from many NFL defenders
  • Despite lower volume of work over four years, Harris has been a busy guy in the past two seasons
  • The leaping over people is fun to watch but won’t be as effective in the NFL

Fantasy football outlook

Don’t automatically see this large-framed Alabama back and think Derrick Henry. Harris is more Mark Ingram or Steven Jackson. While neither of those guys were slouches, they also weren’t the King.

Harris has a first-round grade on talent alone, but teams will devalue him based on the positional need and this being a deep draft class for quarterbacks and wideouts. It’s still certainly within reason he will be chosen in the first round, however.

The Miami Dolphins (18th) and New York Jets (23rd) are the most reasonable spots for him in Round 1. The Arizona Cardinals (16th) could pitch a curveball, and the Buffalo Bills (30th) are a farfetched but remotely possible destination.

Near the top of Round 2 is probably the floor of Harris’ draft stock, with the Jets (34th), Atlanta Falcons (35th), Denver Broncos (40th) and San Francisco 49ers (43rd) all likely landing spots.

Arizona, Miami and the Jets would be ideal spots in terms of opportunity for three-down work. The Bills already have two young backs and added Matt Breida in the offseason — none of them are in Harris’ league, though. Atlanta added Mike Davis, but he’s not the long-term answer and maybe not even the immediate one as a career journeyman. Denver and San Fran would give more stability around him but create serious time-share situations.

In the right spot, Harris is a strong contender for RB2 status on a weekly aggregate basis. The floor, provided he stays healthy, is quality depth if drafted by any of those teams.

2021 NFL Draft: Why Javonte Williams should be your RB1 in this draft class

While there are several great running backs in the 2021 class, the underrated Javonte Williams from North Carolina might just be the best.

Certain running backs don’t just know how to gain yards after contact; they’re actually emboldened in their playing style by the first attempted tackle. Walter Payton would go out of his way to initiate first contact with defenders — to beat the opponent to the punch. Jim Brown made those tackling attempts look comical more often than enemy defenses would prefer. Marshawn Lynch appeared to gain speed and power with every attempted stop.

It’s a valuable skill, and in the 2021 draft class, North Carolina’s Javonte Williams is unquestionably the most gifted in this area. In the 2020 season, Williams gained 1,140 yards and scored 19 touchdowns on just 157 carries as part of a loaded backfield that also included Michael Carter and his 156 carries for 1,245 yards and nine touchdowns. But Williams was the king of the splash play in that offense, and his ability to work his way out of contact was the primary reason.

Per Pro Football Focus, Williams forced 85 missed tackles in 2020 — 76 as a runner (the highest total in the country), and nine more as a receiver. And of all NCAA running backs in 2020, only Michael Carter — Williams’ backfield partner — had more rushing attempts of 15 or more yards than Williams’ 27 for 660 yards. There are other great backs in this class without question, but there may not be one who has combined Williams’ power, contact balance, and second-level explosiveness. And that makes him a highly attractive prospect. Mix in his development as a receiver (25 catches for 305 yards and three touchdowns), and you have an every-down back who seems poised to embarrass NFL defenses as he did to his collegiate rivals.

Perhaps the only universal concern expressed about Williams is that he “disappeared” in the Tar Heels’ game against Notre Dame on November 27, gaining just 28 yards on 11 carries. It’s a valid concern in the abstract, but the tape shows that the Fighting Irish were out for Williams whenever it looked as if he was going to get the ball — Notre Dame had a defense that allowed just 2.6 yards after contact per carry and just 30 broken tackles on the season, and set run blitzes in which the extra defenders were on Williams very quickly against an overmatched offensive line. When Notre Dame’s defense backed off, and Williams had any free space to run, he was still able to create positive plays.

North Carolina’s offensive line is a related matter to consider. Pro Football Focus graded that line 80th in the nation in run-blocking, and there are more than enough examples on tape in which Williams either creates on his own, or he gets very little.

Williams’ next marquee game — and his last as a college player — came on December 12, when North Carolina faced Miami. The Hurricanes did not come into that game with a great run defense, and both Carter and Williams exploited that for all it was worth. Carter gained 308 yards and scored two rushing touchdowns on 24 carries, and Williams gained 236 yards and scored three rushing touchdowns on 23 carries. Williams was able to go off in all possible ways.

 

As for his blocking? You could say that Williams gets fired up to lay the wood.

Williams will invariably be compared to Alabama’s Najee Harris, the other top-flight power back in this class. Harris also brings great short-area elusiveness to his game, and he may be a bit more well-rounded in the passing game, but he doesn’t present the same kind of home-run threat with deep speed — he’s more of a sustainer than that. Harris had 18 carries of 15 yards or more on 252 carries last season.

Where Harris reigned supreme was as an overall tackle-breaker — he forced 71 tackles as a runner and 22 tackles as a receiver. No other back in the nation came anywhere near Harris’ total in the passing game; Hawaii’s Calvin Turner and Toledo’s Bryant Koback tied for second with 13. But Harris also had far more open gaps to run through behind Alabama’s offensive line than Williams or Carter did behind their front five. PFF ranked Alabama 15th in run-blocking grade to North Carolina’s 80th.

That’s not to denigrate Harris, or any other back in this class. But when you merge the stats and the tape, you might just come away with the conclusion that there’s no running back in the 2021 draft class with more explosive potential than Javonte Williams.