Will

Harris

A former third round draft pick, Harris will leave Detroit after five seasons. Harris had two interceptions in 80 games for the Lions along with 174 tackles as a rotational player. In New Orleans, he’ll join a Saints secondary graded by Pro Football Focus as the NFL’s fifth best.

Harris (6’1/207) was a three-plus-year starter in the Eagles’ secondary, tallying 7.5 career TFLs with 12 pass breakups and five interceptions and earning third-team All-ACC in 2018. Harris’ stock got a jolt at the Combine, where he tested as the No. 4 SPARQ athlete among safety invites by blazing 4.41 with a twitched-up 6.91 three-cone time. Although Harris was not a dominant playmaker in the ACC, he offers NFL-level traits and showed an ability to handle man coverage against tight ends and running backs on college tape. At worst, he should be a standout gunner on special teams.

The scout specifically said, “He’s going to be drafted as a backup and he’ll be solid for a couple of years and then you are going to look up and he’s going to be starting for you.” Harris (6'1/207) tested extremely well at the NFL Scouting Combine, producing an 83rd percentile SPARQ athletic composite score. NFL Media’s Lance Zierlein compared him to Bradley McDougald and believes he’ll be selected in Rounds 5-6 in the NFL Draft.

Miller, who believes that Harris (6'1/207) has the ability to be an immediate contributor on special teams, also wrote that Harris is the “rare safety in this class with the experience and ability to play in the box and at high safety.” The former Boston College safety performed well at the NFL Scouting Combine and his school’s pro day, and as a result of that and his production as a senior could be sneak into the back end of Day 2 of this month’s NFL Draft. If Harris doesn’t go on Day 2, his name shouldn’t be on the board very long on Day 3.

Harris was one of the best safeties in terms of testing -- and drills -- during the NFL Scouting Combine, and he elected not to participate in the testing portion on Wednesday. Can’t blame him, as the athleticism really stood out in Indianapolis, and Pauline says he looked the part during the football stuff in BC. " Harris met with defensive backs coaches from the Cincinnati Bengals, Arizona Cardinals, and New York Giants as well as the Kansas City Chiefs,” Pauline writes. "[He] entered the season with a sixth-round grade, could slide into the third round

That’s one of the better times we saw among a strong safety group -- in terms of testing, anyway -- with it ranking fourth in the group and eighth among all defensive backs. He also showed some explosiveness with a 36-inch vertical and 123-inch broad jump. Harris was a solid part of the Boston College defense, and he has a chance to be an early Day 3 -- perhaps even a late Day 2 -- selection at this point.

We often see a player accept invites to two scouting games, but three is uncommon. Harris will potentially do it, however, as he’s accepted invites to the East-West Shrine Game and Senior Bowl as well. This is obviously more looks for the 6-foot-2, 210-pound defensive back, and if he performs to the best of his ability, it will help his draft stock considerably.

Harris also accepted an invitation to the Senior Bowl. It’s not uncommon at all to see players play in both games, as it’s more looks for players to show their stuff. Harris has been a productive player for the Eagles next to Lukas Denis in the secondary, and should be one of the top safeties at both events.

Harris is considered the “other” safety in the Boston College defense with Lukas Denis getting the hype, but Harris is a quality defender in his own right who has shown a nose for the football. At 6-foot-2, 210-pounds, he has quality size, and should have enough athleticism to help in the back end. We’ll get a better understanding of both after he faces quality competition in Mobile in January.

“He plays with great intellect, shows a feel for coverage and rarely has mental lapses on the field,” Pauline writes of the 6-foot-2, 210-pound Harris, whom he currently stamps with a fourth-round grade for next spring’s draft. This past season, Harris logged 83 tackles (5.5 for loss) and recovered an FBS-best four fumbles while starting all 13 games for the Eagles. He makes up one half of Boston College’s elite safety duo, with teammate Lukas Denis a draftable prospect in his own right. Pauline passes along that there are some evaluators who prefer Denis to Harris, though that’s not an opinion the analyst personally holds at this juncture.