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Alabama Football: Part 3 – Outlook for the Tide’s drafted players

By Zachary Mangum

FAYETTEVILLE, AR - OCTOBER 6: Irv Smith Jr. #82 of the Alabama Crimson Tide runs the ball in for a touchdown in the first half of a game against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Razorback Stadium on October 6, 2018 in Tuscaloosa, Alabamai. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)
FAYETTEVILLE, AR - OCTOBER 6: Irv Smith Jr. #82 of the Alabama Crimson Tide runs the ball in for a touchdown in the first half of a game against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Razorback Stadium on October 6, 2018 in Tuscaloosa, Alabamai. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images) /
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MIAMI, FL – DECEMBER 29: Damien Harris #34 of the Alabama Crimson Tide celebrates the win over the Oklahoma Sooners during the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Capital One Orange Bowl at Hard Rock Stadium on December 29, 2018 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
MIAMI, FL – DECEMBER 29: Damien Harris #34 of the Alabama Crimson Tide celebrates the win over the Oklahoma Sooners during the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Capital One Orange Bowl at Hard Rock Stadium on December 29, 2018 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /

Damien Harris – Harris ending up with the Patriots was a bit of a surprise. New England had a lot of holes to fill on a Super Bowl winning roster where their top TE, Rob Gronkowski, somewhat abruptly retired.

They lost several weapons at WR. Tom Brady is 41 and they traded his replacement in 2017. There is still no clear successor at QB for when Tom Brady decides to hang it up.

They have an established veteran and Super Bowl LI hero James White, another established veteran in Rex Burkhead, and a young talented player in Sony Michel at RB. So, it was a bit surprising that the Patriots took Damien Harris in the third round of the draft.

That should be especially troubling to White and Burkhead because the Patriots don’t value RBs very highly and tend to employ RB by committee. This also puts Damien in a tough spot at least in his first year.

He is going to compete to be the number one early-down back, but the type of offense ran by New England will limit his ability to impact the game. Fans of Alabama football know, Damien is a great RB and great pass blocker, but he is an average receiver out of the backfield. That is why you would see Josh Jacobs come in during pass situations at Alabama.

That will hurt Harris’s ability to impact the game in the NFL, where RBs are expected to be able to catch out of the backfield and make things happen. In year one I expect Harris and Sony Michel to split time as the early-down back with White coming in on third-down to be the backfield receiver.

The bigger question mark is, what will the Patriots look like post-Tom Brady? Brady says he wants to play until he is 45. People scoffed when he first said it, but he has not shown much sign of slowing down through his age 41 season.

The Patriots are on the brink of a major organizational shift. Not only is Tom Brady nearing the end, but head coach Bill Belichick has also indicated he will likely retire with Brady. So the truth is, nobody knows what the Patriots will look like when the end finally arrives for number 12 and Belichick.

This really hurts the ability to make an informed prediction about what Damien Harris will do in New England. My best guess is he will be a rotational guy for the next few seasons and eventually move on from New England if Sony Michel becomes the unquestioned number one guy in the backfield.

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