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merlin
By that I mean he'll run routes that favor him. The more of a tree he can run, the more he'll be used too. Defenses know which guys can only run go routes and posts and will sit on those. So he'll need to show enough variety there in order to be used like a Jimmy Graham type which is his niche IMO.
But a couple really interesting things with him...
1. He's a special teams stud so that insinuates he'll take to blocking well. He won't be contact-shy like so many big athletes are. He will do the work.
2. Even though he's a bit new to football as a "move TE" he's actually not all that raw as a move TE because the time he spent was as a wideout so his passing game prep is a bit better than if he had only played TE. McVay is creative enough to use that. To set him up for success in what he does do well.
Lastly his athleticism is going to scare DBs. That plays into his favor on option routes once he gets to that point. By the time he gets near a DB's feet that dude will be doing something for sure to try to mitigate the speed differential. Question is whether he has the instincts to get really good at option routes and whether he's smart enough too. So long way to go but man am I excited about this guy.
What intrigues me the most about him--beyond everything everyone says about the physical stuff we all know already--is that in OTAs, they found he was a very quick and voracious learner. He bit off big chunks of a new system and seemed to progress at an unusual rate.
There's a quotation on that. It's from Rodrigue, who not only saw him a bit, but as we know also talks to coaches. Rodrigue is a good "access" reporter who courts the position of passing on coaching insights while protecting sources (there's a downside to access journalism but most people can't be everything at once). Here's Rodrigue:
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Where young players often seem to develop in increments almost too minimal for the untrained eye to track, Harris has seemed to chew off large chunks of the learning curve. In fact, it seems Harris has become a special project player for both tight ends coach Wes Phillips — with whom Harris is constantly in orbit receiving instruction — and head coach Sean McVay, who has taken extra time with the rookie during drills on more than one occasion....Seven-on-sevens are run at nearly full speed and built to test mental dexterity in a semi-live situation and stress the mind at a faster rate. To see a rookie not only jump over more veteran players on the roster for those reps — and then thrive in them — is rare air, even without the pads on yet.
Actually Harris himself talked about that--ie. that he's a fast learner:
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“It’s going good. I’m learning a lot. A lot of football – more football than I could’ve imagined I could learn,” Harris said. “So it’s pretty cool being in that room, getting comfortable in a three-point stance and whatnot. Being comfortable next to the O-line in that world. It’s a whole different world in there, but I’m taking it day by day and I’m learning a lot and I feel like I’m picking it up pretty quickly.”
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