The 2021 NFL draft is less than a month away and the running back class is beginning to emerge. At the top of a list that includes Clemson’s Travis Etienne, Kenneth Gainwell of Memphis, Virginia Tech’s Khalil Herbert and the North Carolina duo of Javonte Williams and Michael Carter is Alabama’s Najee Harris.
Harris is projected to be selected in the latter part of the first round of this year’s draft by several experts, including ESPN’s Todd McShay, who predicts the Pittsburgh Steelers will take Harris with the 24th overall pick.
Every great player has role models and for Harris, one of those role models is the New York Giants’ Saquon Barkley.
Najee Harris respects Saquon’s game. He said this on The Adam Schefter podcast. https://t.co/fSc99uN2Oe
— Jordan Raanan (@JordanRaanan) April 6, 2021
The operative word here is ‘healthy.’ Barkley is coming off consecutive seasons which were tarnished by injury and Harris had to be referring to Barkley’s rookie season of 2018 when he led the NFL in yards from scrimmage with 2,028.
Harris is a big back (6’2″, 230) like Barkley and was a well-rounded one for the Crimson Tide, rushing for 1,466 yards and catching 43 passes for 425 yards in 13 games last year.
Barkley is seeking to come back from the torn ACL he suffered in Week 2 last year. In 2019, he missed there games and was hobbled in five others with a high ankle sprain. By all accounts his rehab is coming along…
But still he got so far to go ….. 🤞🏾🖤 pic.twitter.com/eOnI3KDfuV
— Saquon Barkley (@saquon) April 6, 2021
