I get the Everett comparison, which is a fair one based on similar athletic talent. However Everett had much more experience in college playing TE, though at a smaller school so if anything you might expect him to absorb the playbook. For whatever reason Everett was inconsistent though he did show flashes of brilliance, just enough to tease you. Not a bust but not what we all hoped for.
Harris is a total wild card. At a minimum he should be a great special teams player as the Rams rated in the best in the draft for special teams. TE seems to be a tough position to learn as many established college players take a year or 2 to learn the position. Based on that it would seem that the odds are stacked against Harris contributing to the offense this year as he has no TE experience at all coming into camp.
Are we setting ourselves up with soaring expectations? Probably, but it is fun to dream and hope that we found the diamond in the rough. Having high expectations for any 4th round pick is kind of nuts when you look at the odds of 4th round picks ever making a huge impact and here we are with one that has no experience playing the position but has sky high expectations and not for the future but for this year.
So far the reports are great about how fast he is catching on. He is off the charts from a physical standpoint, except for the weight, and he has captured everyone's imagination. I love to root for the great story, Kurt Warner was one of those great stories. You never know when they will poop up but when they do you remember them forever. This kid has a chance to be a great story all he has to do is be a great football player. Should we expect that? No but we can sure hope and root for it. Antonio Gates was a wild card, Kittle was a 4th rounder so you never know. I guess we will just have to wait and see but I will enjoy the ride and even if it takes 2 years for him to break out he will still be a great story to remember.
