Did the Patriots need a running back? No, but in Alabama's Damien Harris they saw a player who was simply too good to pass up.
FOXBORO – Mount his picture on a billboard along Route One.
Damien Harris is the poster child for the Patriots’ annual approach to the NFL draft.
“It’s the same as we do every year,” Patriots director of player personnel Nick Caserio said late Friday night at the conclusion of the third round of this year’s selection process. “We look at what’s up there, we look at our options, and we pick the players that we think are going to fit our team the best. We’re not necessarily worried about what position they play. If you build up enough good football players over the course of time, then hopefully you put yourself in a good position.”
So, did the Patriots, a team with notable shortcomings at other positions (hello, tight end), need to invest a third-round choice in the running back position?
Of course they didn’t, not with 2018 first-round pick Sony Michel in the lead-back role, highly productive third-down back James White, the versatile and ever-efficient Rex Burkhead and special teams standout Brandon Bolden already on board.
But with a running back who amassed 3,070 career rushing yards to leave Alabama ranked eighth all-time in school history available, the Patriots selected Harris, whom many projected to go much higher than the 87th selection overall.
Put in its simplest terms, the 2019 draft made the Patriots an offer they couldn’t refuse. The Pats felt Harris was just too good a talent to pass up.
“This guy has been a pretty consistently productive player,” said Caserio, “so this is more of, I would say, falls into good football player category relative to the other options that we were looking at on the board, that’s where he kind of fell.”
Perhaps the player who should be most concerned about Harris’ arrival is Burkhead, who, while a four-down back, has had his problems staying on the field during his two seasons in New England. If nothing else, though, Harris could provide insurance for Michel, who has a history of knee problems, an issue that’s been well documented.
So add Harris to the reigning champions, a team that placed heavy emphasis on the ground game during what truly became a Super Bowl run.
Over four years at ’Bama, the 5-foot-10, 214-pound Harris averaged 6.4 yards on 477 carries, ran for 23 touchdowns, rushed for 1,000 yards in 2016 and 2017 and another 876 while running in tandem with Josh Jacobs (whom the Oakland Raiders selected in the first round) in 2018. He also caught 52 passes for 407 yards and two TDs (including 22 for 204 yards in 2018) and contributed on special teams (most notably, blocking a punt in a 24-7 win over Florida State two years ago).
“I had snaps at almost all special teams (units),” Harris said in a conference call with the New England media following his selection. “I played primarily on punt and punt return and always loved doing it. It was always fun for me and I just wanted to help make our special teams better, help change field position, be an attribute in the kicking game.”
Offensively, Lindy’s Pro Football Draft Report says that “what makes (Harris) so remarkable is his powerful running style combined with his vision and cutback ability” and lauds him as “a gifted receiver” who “can really put his foot in the ground and go after the catch.”
Harris, who played peewee football in Kentucky with Jarrett Stidham, the Auburn quarterback the Patriots selected in Saturday's fourth round, says that he’s “just a dependable player, somebody that whenever you ask me to do something, I’ll do it.
“I think I just show a lot of great attributes on the field, things that help me be a great running back and they can help the team be successful,” said Harris. “There’s a lot of things that I can do well, there’s a lot of things I can still improve on, so I’m just ready to come in and be my best me and get to work Day 1.”
Harris believes that the relationship between Nick Saban, his coach at Alabama, and Bill Belichick, who will be his coach with the Patriots, will ease his transition from college to the pro ball. Saban, of course, served as the defensive coordinator from 1991-1994 on Belichick’s coaching staff during the latter’s reign as head coach in Cleveland and the two remain close to this day.
“I think Coach Saban prepares all of his guys to be ready for this next level and be ready for the NFL,” said Harris. “Obviously, Coach Saban and Coach Belichick are very similar, they know each other, they’re friends, so I think that on top of Coach Saban being the coach that he is, I think him having that relationship will also help me transition to the NFL and the Patriots and help me be successful.”