Najee Harris proved himself during his time with Alabama football
Najee Harris was the best running back in college football last season. He will now go from Alabama football to the NFL, and the expectation is that he will thrive with that transition.
Here is Harris’s 2021 NFL Draft profile.
Strengths
Najee Harris has many strengths, but one thing that jumps off of the page is his agility. He has improved in-between the tackles due to his strength, but his ability to avoid tacklers sets him apart. Alabama football fans are used to him hurdling, defenders, but he has developed a wide array of skills.
Harris has also improved as a pass-catcher. This matters more than ever in the NFL, and it will add value to Harris’s NFL Draft stock.
Harris can also be a blocking back, which will make him a quarterback’s best friend. He picks up a blitz as well as anyone, so quarterbacks will have more time in the pocket.
A key that will translate well to the NFL is Najee’s ability to fall forward. He rarely runs for a loss, and he is excellent in the red zone. Due to his size, he is hard to bring down in the backfield.
This wide variety of skills makes him an all-around back ready to thrive in any scheme, and we haven’t even mentioned his leadership skills. He will be an asset to any locker room, and he will help fix a bad culture.
Weaknesses
Najee Harris only has two true weaknesses, and one of them is questionable. The one thing that he objectively struggles with is separating at the final level of the defense. If he breaks away, he usually gets chased down by safeties. This is concerning, but he can have a successful career with this being true.
The only other weakness is his workload. He had 718 touches in his Alabama football career. NFL teams love to run backs into the ground and let them walk before paying them more money. Some will think that he doesn’t have as much tread on the tires. To be fair, that was also the knock on Derrick Henry, and he is now the best running back in the NFL.
Projection
Harris has what it takes to be an all-down back, and he will likely be the only running back drafted in the first round. His ceiling is the Dolphins at No. 18, and his floor is early in the second round. If he gets drafted to the right team, he will be a Pro-Bowler sooner rather than later.
Najee Harris is a great running back, and he is as close as you can get to a sure thing as a running back.