Can Jacob Harris become more than a project?​

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Random Ramsdom: Can Jacob Harris become more than a project?


Perhaps the most interesting part about Jacob Harris is that he is relatively new to the game of football, as he started playing in his senior season of high school. Before then, he was primarily a soccer player, and was so gifted at it that he earned a division 1 scholarship to play soccer for Florida Gulf Coast. However, Harris would be lured away from soccer, and eventually walked on to both Western Kentucky and UCF before earning a mid-season scholarship at UCF.

Playing only one season where he saw significant playing time, Harris had a solid final season, hauling in 30 passes for 8 total touchdowns and 539 receiving yards. Not bad for a man who was in just his 5th year of organized football.

One red flag on Harris as a wide receiver is that he is extremely raw when it comes to route running, which is a recipe for disaster when going up against the elite level corners that he will see in the NFL. That is why coach McVay and Les Snead selected Harris to, hopefully, become a tight end at some point. Harris, once again, is only 211 pounds, which is awfully slim for a position that blocks linebackers and defensive lineman as much as they go out on patterns. In order to make the switch, Harris would have to put on a little bit of weight, which is doable considering the programs these elite level athletes have access to.

In my opinion, Harris can indeed become an actual threat in this Rams offense. The issue is, I feel as if the only real chance is if he becomes a full-time tight end, as he simply lacks the skills to get any real separation on NFL caliber corners. Put him against safeties and linebackers, then I believe it is an entirely different ball game. Hopefully Harris fully commits to becoming a tight end, and blossoms into a real matchup nightmare for defenses for years to come.