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Jerome Harrison, RB, WSU (1 Viewer)

Patoons

Footballguy
Video-

http://www.draftshowcase.com/JeromeHarrison.wmv

As seen in the video, definitely has nice cuts, appears to be patient for blockers. Not as small as I thought at 5-10, 199lbs (could use some extra pounds, but I'm sure that'd come in off-season/traning camp. Definitely lacks the breakaway seems to lack the breakaway speed as noted in Bloom's rankings.

Everyone has Indy pegged on taking Maroney, but what about them taking a guy like Harrison in the 3rd at an attempt to fill Edge's spot. I don't know that he will be able to take the north-south abuse between the tackles, but he looks like he'd run that stretch play excellent with his quick burst and tight cuts.

Thoughts?

 
I watched the Apple Cup this year, and Harrison received a comparison to Barry Sanders or LaDainlian Tomlinson on almost every carry. Obviously that's going a bit too far, but I do think some team is going to get a good back deep in the draft.

 
Harrison is most likely a 2nd day guy, and offers some nice developmental upside if he can get a team to overlook his size. At 5'9", 196 [the most recent weigh in information], he needs to be exemplary to get a look in the first three rounds, and right now he's probably on the outside looking in. Obviously a blistering Combine/Pro Day could change that. Stay tuned.

 
Harrison is most likely a 2nd day guy, and offers some nice developmental upside if he can get a team to overlook his size. At 5'9", 196 [the most recent weigh in information], he needs to be exemplary to get a look in the first three rounds, and right now he's probably on the outside looking in. Obviously a blistering Combine/Pro Day could change that. Stay tuned.
4th round pick by the 9ers :D
 
He is way too slow for his running style.
Not sure I agree. Thanks for the post Patoons.
How so? He got caught from behind nearly every time. He has some nice vision and some moves but I think he would need a bigger frame with that running style. Best case scenario: Kevin Faulk
 
In a nutshell...given his size he needs to be special in one facet or another. Yet he lacks great speed, is an unpolished route runner, a limited blocker and has shown consistent flaws in both taking a handoff and being unable to switch the ball from his dominant hand to prevent getting stripped.

 
In a nutshell...given his size he needs to be special in one facet or another. Yet he lacks great speed, is an unpolished route runner, a limited blocker and has shown consistent flaws in both taking a handoff and being unable to switch the ball from his dominant hand to prevent getting stripped.
Maybe he is more of a developmental guy than I thought (from watching him a few times this year he looked solid IMO), but if his quick burst can translate on the next level I don't see why he wouldn't be a nice 3rd/4th round RB. From what I've seen, he also plays stronger than you'd think with his frame, which is also a plus. The switching hands with the ball and block are things that can be worked on and fixed. He's got untouchables like quickness/vision.However, if he runs a 4.55 as expected, his his stock will drop big time.

 
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As the video attests Harrison is a natural runner with great instincts and quickness. He lacks blazing speed. He has moves many backs rated higher can only dream of. He has tremendous vision, and is superb reading his blocks and exploding through holes. He has above average hands. He is exceptionally durable and he gets stronger as the game wears on. One thing I noticed all year, is he is a north south runner. He cuts upfield and gets yards-- over and over again. He sees holes very few backs see.

DeAngelo Williams was the best back at the Senior Bowl, but after him you would be hard pressed to name a back who looked better than Harrison (the only possibility being Norwood). Weigh him, measure him, time him and he isn't as impressive as the other guys. Give them all the ball and he was more impressive than all but Williams. It wasn't just in the game either. It was every day of practice. The reports were almost funny as the week wore on. Every day there'd be several comments about the higher rated backs (good and bad) and then: "Harrison had some very nice runs today."

Quickness is as important as speed (probably more important), and Harrison has it combined with vision and great moves. For fantasy purposes it doesn't matter much how far he falls in the nfl draft. It matters who drafts him and what he does in training camp. Most NFL RBs get their shot eventually. When Harrison gets his, he might turn out to be one of the steals of this draft. Certainly someone to stow away on a dynasty roster.

 
As the video attests Harrison is a natural runner with great instincts and quickness. He lacks blazing speed. He has moves many backs rated higher can only dream of. He has tremendous vision, and is superb reading his blocks and exploding through holes. He has above average hands. He is exceptionally durable and he gets stronger as the game wears on. One thing I noticed all year, is he is a north south runner. He cuts upfield and gets yards-- over and over again. He sees holes very few backs see.

DeAngelo Williams was the best back at the Senior Bowl, but after him you would be hard pressed to name a back who looked better than Harrison (the only possibility being Norwood). Weigh him, measure him, time him and he isn't as impressive as the other guys. Give them all the ball and he was more impressive than all but Williams. It wasn't just in the game either. It was every day of practice. The reports were almost funny as the week wore on. Every day there'd be several comments about the higher rated backs (good and bad) and then: "Harrison had some very nice runs today."

Quickness is as important as speed (probably more important), and Harrison has it combined with vision and great moves. For fantasy purposes it doesn't matter much how far he falls in the nfl draft. It matters who drafts him and what he does in training camp. Most NFL RBs get their shot eventually. When Harrison gets his, he might turn out to be one of the steals of this draft. Certainly someone to stow away on a dynasty roster.
:goodposting: I don't know how you can watch that video (of his highlights, granted) and not be impressed. I really think he plays bigger than his size. He seems to really run pretty well in tight spaces, which is usually the knock against smaller backs. On one of those TDs runs he went up the middle and broke some tackles and kept his balance after getting hit right into the endzone. I have to watch more of Calhoun, but I wouldn't be shocked if Harrison turns out to be a better RB than Calhoun.

 
Just saw a mock with Harrison going to the Colts in the 3rd. That would be interesting.
Hey Construx, I'm sure you realize this already but February mocks aren't worth the paper they're printed on, particularly once you get out of the 1st round. Heck, if an April mock manages to get 20% of its picks right beyond the first round, that's a home run.
 
Just saw a mock with Harrison going to the Colts in the 3rd. That would be interesting.
Hey Construx, I'm sure you realize this already but February mocks aren't worth the paper they're printed on, particularly once you get out of the 1st round. Heck, if an April mock manages to get 20% of its picks right beyond the first round, that's a home run.
Oh sure, I know that. Merely pointing out that it would be interesting to me if Edge left and the only RB the Colts got in was Harrison. I would think he could beat out Rhodes given some time. It would certainly increase his dyansty value. You seem pretty down on Harrison. Do you think Calhoun or Drew or Moore are better as "small backs"? What order would you put them in?

 
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I watched the Apple Cup this year, and Harrison received a comparison to Barry Sanders ... on almost every carry.
So did Quentin Griffin...Not saying Harrison can't play at the next level, but these comparisons every year with some of the best RBs ever to play the game tend to get awfully tiresome.
 
Woodrow having a bad day today?
:confused: No, why?
I imagine he was talking about your reply to me. It was a tad condensceding to be honest. But I'm pretty thick-skinned. :boxing:
Ah! My apologies Contrux, not my intent.
No problem man. I do think that assuming James leaves the Colts and that they don't bring in/trade for a vet, the RB they take in the draft, regardless of round, will be a hot commodity on fantasy draft day.
 
He looked preety good with his vision. Not sure about his O-line though. Had this year not been all about Reggie Bush, he would have probably been mention a little more.

 
With a pretty solid OL, Adrian Peterson went 23-84 against the Oregon Ducks. A couple games before that Harrison went 28-143 with a lesser line. ASU and Stanford had two of the Pac 10s better run Ds and he put 219 and 240 on them. He would have put 200 on USC if not for being abandoned in a blow out. Several quality backs faced those same defenses with significantly lesser production, Mike Bell, Marshawn Lynch, Terrence Whitehead, and they had better lines. I'm not saying Harrison is better than Peterson or Lynch, but the numbers sure get intriguing. Solid backs falling to the second day are not unusual, and with this unusually deep draft it's no reason to discount those who do. There's a handful of NFL teams who are solid running the ball that will be in the market for late round RBs. For Harrison, it is all about an opprotunity he may or may not get.

 
He reminds of Darren Sproles (most recently). His cutting ability is special. That being said, he will have to improve in other areas to have a chance at starting at some point in his career.

 
Looks like a pretty average NFL back to me. Average speed, moves, and cutting ability. Good vision and patience, but not a big time guy by any means.

Upside: Mewelde Moore

Realistic: A. Pinner

 
It's strange how different people's perception of players can be. that's what makes the draft great, lots of opinions and no one knows who's correct right away. I can see both sides of the argument for Harrison. He's a small RB with outstanding vision and running instincts and was very productive being the main weapon on his offense. Sounds like DeAngelo Williams :) I'm not saying he will be Williams, in fact I think Williams will be a stud in the NFL, Tiki Barber-ish. But I don't see why Harrison gets very little respect from the majority of people, he shows a lot of skills and really only lacks ideal size and speed, like Williams.

* he looks lot smaller then his reported size. Definitely not as fluid of a runner of Williams is. Still, I think he could benefit playing in the right type of system, similar to how Westbrook is used well for Philly.

 
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Bad: he never used a stiffarm.

Bad: He got caught from behind alot.

Bad: That highlight reel had zero broken tackles.

Bad: He looks pretty small in stature.

Good: He has great moves and vision.

Summary - A poor man's Quentin Griffin.

 
Bad: he never used a stiffarm.

Bad: He got caught from behind alot.

Bad: That highlight reel had zero broken tackles.

Bad: He looks pretty small in stature.

Good: He has great moves and vision.

Summary - A poor man's Quentin Griffin.
I agree with all except the broken tackles, although my opinion of broken tackles may be different than yours. He had several instances of an attempted tackle in which the defender hit his legs and he kept his balance and kept going. That's important in my book. If you're looking for a RB who gets hit head on, and wrapped up, but keeps going, then you're looking for the next Earl Campbell and you're going to be looking for a long time.
 
Bad: he never used a stiffarm.

Bad: He got caught from behind alot.

Bad: That highlight reel had zero broken tackles.

Bad: He looks pretty small in stature.

Good: He has great moves and vision.

Summary - A poor man's Quentin Griffin.
This has become extremly important to me after the JJ Arrington incident a year ago.
 
Just to re-enforce, check out the TD run against USC starting at about 2.14 in the clip and then the last run of the clip against Washington. On both he does an excellent job of absorbing hits and keeping his balance while he keeps moving. I also noticed that he seems to fall forward alot. Sort of reminds me of Ryan Moats coming out last year. Not to mention that USC and Washington were probably his two "biggest" games, so seeing some toughness in those clips shows me he has some heart.

Incomplete analysis based on a 3 minute video? Sure.

But am I more impressed than I was before watching the video, even keeping in mind it's a highlight package? Yes.

 
Bad: he never used a stiffarm.

Good:  He has great moves and vision.
This has become extremly important to me after the JJ Arrington incident a year ago.
Great moves and vision = a lot of missed tackles which lead to more yards than broken tackles.
But those moves might not work as effectively in the NFL. In the NFL, defenders are faster and then you have to break tackles to get yardage.
 
Bad: he never used a stiffarm.

Good: He has great moves and vision.
This has become extremly important to me after the JJ Arrington incident a year ago.
Great moves and vision = a lot of missed tackles which lead to more yards than broken tackles.
But those moves might not work as effectively in the NFL. In the NFL, defenders are faster and then you have to break tackles to get yardage.
I think the reverse is more accurate. Those moves DO work better at the next level than running over college kids. Absolutely the moves are not AS effective at the next level, but a back like Mike Bell, who runs through tackles, is in for a bigger setback trying to run through NFL tackles than a back like Harrison (or Norwood, or Calhoun) who makes people miss. That is a short clip of Harrison this past season, but it's not close to his highlight clip. That's how he looked almost every week, drive after drive. It was a very impressive season, as impressive as DeAngelo Williams' was. I'm not arguing that Harrison is great. I think he's a possible fantasy value in the right situation (because he's going to fall and could land in a sweet spot). I feel the same way about a half dozen backs this year that I rank all in one hard to separate group.

If someone wants to argue that Norwood, Addai, Calhoun or Drew are far and away superior to Harrison, that's fine, but I don't think it's based on careful observation. I saw plenty of four of them this year (little of Norwood) and have each of them on tape. I'm a huge fan of Mo Drew, for personal homer type reasons, and while I can distinguish their different strengths and weaknesses, I am unsure of how to rank them. Norwood, Addai, and Calhoun have the best speed (so did Justin Fargas and Trung Canidate). If you "watch their feet" you'll like Harrison the best, but the missing 5th gear is certainly unimpressive.

:shrug:

 
Quick update: Harrison ran a 4.47 and had a rediculous shuttle and 7-cone performance.
Interesting. I think this moves him past Calhoun at least. I think this moves him to the 3rd round.
 
Quick update: Harrison ran a 4.47 and had a rediculous shuttle and 7-cone performance.
Interesting. I think this moves him past Calhoun at least. I think this moves him to the 3rd round.
It will depend on what these guys do at their pro days IMO- Calhoun can save face there.
 
Quick update: Harrison ran a 4.47 and had a rediculous shuttle and 7-cone performance.
Interesting. I think this moves him past Calhoun at least. I think this moves him to the 3rd round.
It will depend on what these guys do at their pro days IMO- Calhoun can save face there.
After looking at all Calhoun's numbers I think he is what he is. It doesn't appear he just had the bad run. I'm thinking Wisconsin systm RB at this point. He did what I expected Harrison to do and visa versa. Harrison was amazing in the the 3 cone and 60 yard shuttle... fastest there for now. Norwood and DWill are possibles to beat him still
 
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