NAJEE HARRIS | ALABAMA 6’1” 232 lbs. 3/9/1998 (Age 23)
Najee Harris was drafted 24th overall by the Pittsburgh Steelers, becoming the 1st running back and 24th overall player in the 2021 NFL Draft.
COLLEGE TAPE
Running: I wish Harris had declared in 2020 because things looked too easy for him this past year. He was also 22.5 years old so he was a little bit older than most of his competition, but he ran like it. He was extremely elusive, patient, and ran tough. I rarely saw the first defender that made contact take him down. Normally it took two or three consistently if Harris didn’t make all of them miss with his excellent start and stop ability. Contact balance, speed, yards after contact, leg drive, vision, instincts, you name it, he’s got it. Based on his 2021 film, there aren’t any negatives that I could find based on his rushing ability. He’s a top-tier prospect in this category.
Receiving: Harris was utilized often as a receiver, but mainly out of the backfield. As a runner, he was a threat to create big chunks of yards every time he touched the ball so it made sense to get him in space where he had even more room to create. He was consistently catching the ball with his hands which is a plus too. He should see a lot of plays designed to pass him the ball at the next level to utilize his vision and elusive moves even more.
Pass Blocking: Finally, one area where I will knock Harris down a bit. He was pushed back several times on film from oncoming rushers. He’ll need to work on getting lower and squaring up at the next level. He has the agility and speed to get to backers and defensive lineman, so it’ll be on the coaching staff to help him here. Despite the knock, I don’t expect it to impede him from getting on the field.
Overall Notes: Originally, I came away from Harris’ film thinking he was a cut above the rest of the class. However, upon a second look, I’m a little more concerned. Obviously, his tape still looked great. But unlike Travis Etienne, Harris was never keyed on this past year with the receiving crew around him. Normally looking at 7 or fewer man boxes, and a top-three offensive line, Harris consistently ran with a one or two-yard push down the field. Then you also have to mention that Harris is already 23 years old and that it took him until his Junior year to see serious playing time because he couldn’t beat out Josh Jacobs nor Damien Harris. There are a lot of subtle negatives that add a lot of context to Harris’s career. He was great in college, but I think the battle for the top NFL prospect is much closer than I believed at first glance and he may have a lower floor than other running backs in the top tier.
DRAFT ANALYSIS
Rapid Reaction to Draft Capital: Excellent
Rapid Reaction to Landing Spot: Excellent
FANTASY INSIGHTS
Najee Haris was already in my top ten rookies for fantasy and now that he is officially the first running back off the board, that might even give him the edge over Travis Etienne for the top running back in the class. Harris now has a sweet five-year contract locked up which will take him through his age 27 season. It was very difficult to find faults in the film and most of the cons came from the context of what he did while being surrounded by loads of NFL talent. I’m not pushing Harris far up my board because this was an expected outcome and his first-round draft capital was mostly baked into his ranking already. Harris will be the guy in Pittsburgh with Big Ben for one more year and then he is looking at the lead running back position in an offense that will be searching for answers at the most important position, quarterback.
We’ve seen what happens to that offense was Mason Rudolph was at the helm and it wasn’t pretty. This doesn’t make me very excited for his long-term outlook, but if you’re in dire need of a running back, Harris is one of the best you’ll get until 2023. Time to throw out any excitement for Anthony McFarland too. All in all, Harris is someone I’ll be fading as much as I can despite the excitement that will be surrounding him on Twitter.
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