NFL Draft 2021 Scouting Report: TE/WR Jacob Harris, Central Florida (Quick Hit Report)

2021 NFL DRAFT SCOUTING REPORT

APRIL 9, 2021

*Our TE grades can and will change as more information comes in from Pro Day workouts, leaked Wonderlic test results, etc. We will update ratings as new info becomes available.

**Our TE formulas had some slight changes in the offseason—an adjustment to better identify and value TE prospects that are smaller physically and are primed for the era ahead...the era of Jordan Reed and Delanie Walker-type TEs. Our historical grades will have changed some on various prospects as well, to show their grades by comparison.

** ‘Quick hit’ scouting is a quick publishing of shorthand notes I took watching 2-4 games of activity because there are some ‘things’ the computer sees (usually from the measurables) that make me want to see if something ‘special’ or ‘interesting’ looms. Typically, pre-Draft, we do this on prospects who are a little more off the grid/national spotlight. **

There are two types of people about to read this…

1) The ‘Who is Jacob Harris/never heard of him?’ contingent.

2) And the ‘I was waiting for this one…’

The reason why many were ‘waiting’ is the same reason why I rushed this ahead of top-ranked defensive players I wanted to study – that Pro Day.

6’5”/219 with an 81.4” wingspan.

Clocking in with a 4.43 40-time with a surreal (for his size) 6.51 three-cone and a sweet 40.5” vertical to go with it. On paper, Harris had (arguably) the best Pro Day of any WR in the 2021 NFL Draft.

So the question quickly becomes – do you think it is real? Judging by the other Pro Day measurables for more widely known UCF prospects – the UCF Pro Day numbers were (my opinion) in-line on the top guys (Robinson, Grant), and there wasn’t every other player there coming in with a shocking Pro Day, so I’m more inclined to believe this Pro Day rather than doubt it.

With that last statement, there’s a sudden/immediate red flag – the conflict of a stunning Pro Day and the fact that almost none of us knew he existed before the Pro Day. How is that possible?

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2021 NFL DRAFT SCOUTING REPORT

APRIL 9, 2021

So, is he like some track star who is all athlete and not a real football player? Well, not exactly – he did have 30 catches for 539 yards and 8 TDs in 10 games in COVID 2020 season. That’s not nothing. And you’re wrong about him being a track star…it’s another sport that led him here.

Harris was hoping to be a soccer player in college and beyond, and he never played football until his senior year of high school. He liked the baptism into the sport (American football), but still he went into college to play soccer at Florida Gulf Coast.

However, he abruptly quit his soccer career a few weeks into attendance and went to Western Kentucky as a walk-on football player. He then left there and went to be a walk-on at Central Florida and was a special teamer his first season (2018)…7 tackles and no catches/yards as a WR.

In 2019, he earned his way into some WR play and had 19 catches for 448 yards and a TD. Then more improvement in 2020 with his 30-539-8 TD season including a 5 catch, 110 yards, 3 TD game against South Florida. Harris was getting better as he went along.

Still, no one took him seriously for the NFL Draft because of such an unorthodox journey into college football…AND because he wasn’t really a full starter for Central Florida the whole season. He was more of a rotational WR for situations…a #4-5 WR in the games I watched of his in 2020.

A taller, skinnier former soccer player who couldn’t start for UCF…he was a ghost for the 2021 NFL Draft pre-Pro Day. But then that Pro Day…and now all the NFL teams are taking meetings with him. He’s gone from a nobody to top insider sleeper prospect in the span of a week.

Is the attention warranted? I watched 2-3 game tapes and his highlight package and took some scouting notes. Here are my notations from my session…

-- Mostly used as a ‘go deep’. Rare meticulous route action from him/not a technician. He will need work at the next level.

-- My first thought seeing his size/speed = convert him to a tight end. Considering he needs professional training and grooming anyway, why not invest that time into him as a tight end?

-- He plays tough, so a move to TE makes sense. He played special teams and isn’t afraid to tackle. He was a good blocker in the run game for UCF.

-- Displays good hands. He made some catches on deep balls where he had to adjust to bad passes or just go over the top of good coverage. Not amazing hands, but no red flags either.

-- He looks fast and agile on tape, but I wouldn’t have assumed a 4.4 runner and a shock agility time guy. I might have said 4.5/4.6 with +/- 7.00 three-cone.

You can see his athletic ability from a soccer skill standpoint on the field. He does look athletic/moves well but I didn’t see the full shock Pro Day coming.

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2021 NFL DRAFT SCOUTING REPORT

APRIL 9, 2021

-- Hard to scout because he was in and out of games. Not targeted like a key guy a lot when he was in. And mostly all he did was sprint deep and try and make plays when called upon.

-- What he needs the most work in, is routes and general WR play…which is the most easily fixable thing for a WR prospect. OR just put all that effort into him as a TE and have him add 10+ muscle.

-- Nice, happy, thoughtful young man. No injury or character issues uncovered.

Jacob Harris, Through the Lens of Our TE/WR Scouting Algorithm:

-- No TD catches in his first 17 games, and then 8 TDs in his final 9 games.

-- Finished the season with his two best games with more playing time allotted…

5-110-3 vs. So. Florida

4-67-1 vs. BYU in their bowl game…leading the team in receiving yards.

2021 Pro Day:

6’5”/219, 9.5” hands, 33.75” inches

4.43 40-time, 2.45 20-yd, 1.60 10-yd

4.31 shuttle, 6.51 three-cone

15 bench reps, 40.5” vertical

11’1” broad jump

The Historical TE/WR Prospects to Whom Jacob Harris Most Compares:

Let’s look at Harris comped to WRs and TEs…

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2021 NFL DRAFT SCOUTING REPORT

APRIL 9, 2021

Most of the comps at TE, logically, are big college WRs who either did convert to TE in the pros, or I thought should have. Considering that Darren Waller (college WR) and Logan Thomas (college QB) are now two of the top 5 most dangerous TE weapons – the natural/fruitful conversion for big WRs should be to tight end. Antonio Gates, Tony Gonzalez, and Jimmy Graham are arguably the three best tight end weapons in football history – all not football players primarily from college. They converted from other sports.

TE TE- Last First Yr College H H W Spd- Strgth Hands Grade Reed Agil Blxing Metric Metric Metric 6.859 8.08 Harris Jacob 2021 C. Florida 6 5.0 219 15.70 0.31 7.51 6.546 9.04 Fehoko Simi 2021 Stanford 6 3.7 222 11.55 -0.74 8.24 5.646 6.66 Mathews Mitch 2016 BYU 6 6.5 222 9.63 -3.23 9.97 8.183 9.80 Lazard Allen 2018 Iowa State 6 4.5 227 8.84 0.04 11.18 4.450 7.70 Bryant Lamont 2012 Morgan St 6 5.2 225 11.07 -0.44 3.48 3.078 7.52 Swoope Eric 2014 Miami, Fla 6 4.6 224 5.90 -2.60 5.59 0.385 2.61 Jefferson Ellis 2018 Houston 6 3.6 219 7.13 -2.84 3.67

*A score of 7.0+ is where we start to take a TE prospect more seriously. A score of 8.50+ is where we see a stronger correlation of TEs going on to become NFL good/great/elite. A score of 10.00+ is more rarefied air in our system and indicates a greater probability of becoming an elite NFL TE. All of the TE ratings are based on a 0–10 scale, but a player can score negative, or above a 10.0 in certain instances. **The ‘TE-Reed’ score is in honor of Jordan Reed’s 2015 season…looking at TEs in a different manner—the smaller, speedy receiving threats. “Speed-Agility Metric” = A combination of unique metrics surrounding speed, agility, physical size, mixed with some on-field performance metrics. High scorers here project to have a better YAC and show characteristics to be used as deep threats/create separation. “Power-Strength Metric” = A combination of unique metrics surrounding physical size profiling, bench press strength, etc. High scorers here project to be more physical, better blockers, and less injury-prone. “Hands Metric” = A combination of unique metrics surrounding on-field performance in college, considering the strength of opponents played. Furthermore, this data considers some physical profiling for hand size, etc. High scorers here have a better track record of college statistical performance, and project the combination of data for receiving success at the next level.

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2021 NFL DRAFT SCOUTING REPORT

APRIL 9, 2021

As a WR…

Harris has hope/potential as a true WR too, but he’s less special as a prospect at WR…although still pretty interesting given his athleticism from his Pro Day. Still, the Harris comps are good college WRs who struggled transitioning their big-time athleticism to the NFL.

WR Draft Last First College H H W Power Speed Hands' Score Yr Strngth Agility Metric Metric Metric 7.049 2021 Harris Jacob C. Florida 6 5.0 219 7.11 9.85 6.73 6.455 2016 Boehringer Moritz Schwabisch Hall 6 4.4 227 7.87 7.01 6.37 6.268 2008 Schilens Chaz San Diego State 6 4.0 225 9.90 10.77 5.36 7.440 2019 Boykin Miles Notre Dame 6 3.6 220 6.70 9.57 7.76 8.607 2012 Hill Stephen Georgia Tech 6 4.0 215 6.05 10.17 8.45 4.679 2010 Nelson David Florida 6 5.2 217 6.58 6.25 4.48

2021 NFL Draft Outlook:

NFL Draft websites tend to make their ranking list in January-February and then tinker with the big names, and thus guys like Harris, who weren’t on their original lists, still aren’t. He slides through the cracks. However, he’s getting too many meetings with real teams not to get a 6th/7th-round call…consensus draft rankings be damned.

If I were an NFL GM, I’d be meeting with Harris too…and gauging whether he’s a candidate to make the conversion to NFL tight end. As a WR, I got plenty of other athletic freaks to look at who can play the game at a much higher level right now than Harris. But, at tight end in 2021…there’s Kyle Pitts and a bunch of yawns. Harris is at least intriguing as a TE convert.

The NFL should be looking for TE converts all over, but they’re too stupid to – they’ll fawn over and pay Kyle Pitts a ton of money but 30 other teams will be too stupid to go create their own Pitts, or try, on the cheap themselves. As a faux-GM, I would look to convert Harris to TE on the cheap.

*Only the Philadelphia Eagles have figured out this whole taking fallen WRs and trying to make them into TE weapons. I commend them for at least trying with WR Hakeem Butler and QB Tyree Jackson.

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2021 NFL DRAFT SCOUTING REPORT

APRIL 9, 2021

NFL Outlook:

So hard to say.

My guess is the NFL tries to convert him to TE. It then takes 2-3 years, maybe? And who has that kind of time? This story will likely take until 2020 before we see anything interesting…IF we see anything interesting.

I think Harris has a shot and the body to make it as a TE convert – if he does it ASAP and not 2-3 years down the line.

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Signature______Date______4/9/2021

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