5. Najee Harris, RB, Senior
This is a really interesting one. Najee Harris was a monster last year, and the expectation is that his role is going to increase this season. After losing your star quarterback and two top-tier receivers, the offense is going to need to go back to the old system of chewing clock with the running game and wearing down the defense over four quarters. He will be an asset for the quarterback, whoever that ends up being.
Najee’s abilities on the field speak for themselves. We knew about his athleticism from his highlight plays as a freshman and sophomore, but he developed a key facet of his game last year. Once he became a consistent pass-catcher out of the backfield, he became more of a weapon. That’s the trait that NFL scouts are going to care about, and he is only going to polish it as a senior.
I personally believe that Harris should have declared for the NFL this season, but he might end up being RB1 in 2021. However, this class is going to be stacked once again. He will battle against Travis Etienne and Chuba Hubbard. He has the talent to go in the first round over both of these players, but who knows?
Harris will bring leadership to the offense as they move past the Tua Tagovailoa era, something this Tide team will desperately need. There is no doubt that he will bring that same leadership to whatever NFL team he plays for one day.