The New England Patriots were full of surprises in the first two days of the NFL Draft. To begin, they drafted a wide receiver with their first round pick in N’Keal Harry — and then they drafted a running back with their third overall pick in Damien Harris.
Harris is a former Alabama Crimson Tide running back that was one of the most reliable guys to come out of the draft. They felt as if they chose the best player available.
Here’s four things Patriots fans should know about Harris.
1. He was a four-year starter under Nick Saban at Alabama
Harris spent four years at Alabama and was a team captain for the Crimson Tide. He spent his time under head coach Nick Saban, who happens to be one of Belichick’s closest friends in this business. Saban highly recommended that the Patriots get Harris if he is available — and Belichick did just that.
He racked up 476 rushes, 3,073 yards and 23 rushing touchdowns in his four years — while surpassing 1,000 rushing yards in a season three times. Harris was considered a strong locker room presence that was a glue for one of the greatest college football dynasties.
This production and familiarity with a winning culture will translate very easily into the NFL.
2. He will mesh perfectly with the Patriots’ running backs corps
Drafting a running back in the third round can become risky for a team when you already have three running backs that can be considered starters. But, this shouldn’t be an issue with Harris and the Patriots. New England will feature a running back corps of Harris, Sony Michel, James White, Rex Burkhead and Brandon Bolden.
Each of these running backs will have their own roles, and none of them require a ton of touches. Harris wasn’t the workhorse at Alabama — while averaging just over 10 touches a game. But, he was able to surpass 1,000 yards rushing in three consecutive seasons. He was able to take less carries while still producing, and that is exactly how the Patriots’ current running back corps stays healthy.
New England’s running game will be a primary reason that Tom Brady can feel comfortable to play football at the age of 42.
3. He aspires to be a college football analyst
Harris’ only goal isn’t to become an NFL player — he’s already thinking about the next step after that. He graduated with a Communication Studies degree at Alabama and wants to utilize that as a college football analyst one day.
Harris also has a goal of meeting and learning from college basketball analyst Jay Bilas — who is one of ESPN’s most popular names.
4. He held his younger teammates accountable in school
Not only was Harris a captain on the field, he made sure that his teammates were held accountable in the books. It’s tough for student-athletes to focus on both their sport and the classroom — so Harris was a mentor for the younger guys that struggled to balance it all.
One of his professors, Brian Oliu, made a Twitter thread on his senior day that was exemplified this.
