SI All-American Candidate Derrick Harris Jr. Highlights and Evaluation

Derrick Harris Jr. is a linebacker/defensive end prospect from New Caney High School in New Caney, Texas. Harris Jr. is an SI All-American candidate.

Prospect: Derrick Harris Jr.
Status: SI All-American Candidate
Vitals: 6-foot-3, 215 pounds
Position: Outside Linebacker 
School: New Caney (Texas) 
Committed to: Texas
Projected Position: Defensive End/Outside Linebacker

Frame: Lean and sinewy. Broad shoulders taper to narrow waist. Long arms. Carved thighs and quads with thin calves. Substantial room to add mass and muscle. 

Athleticism: Explosive off the ball. Plenty fast, but burst sticks out more. Natural bend and flexibility. Above-average agility, though not especially quick getting out of cuts. Shows burgeoning power. 

Instincts: Innate ability to turn the corner and close to home as pass-rusher. Quickly splits double-teams by narrowing shoulders. High hands when quarterback begins to throw; constant knock-down threat. Keen understanding of pursuit angles. 

Polish: Rarely asked to take on linemen at the point of attack or hold the edge. Could play lower, studying his base to better reflect the power of blockers. Raw pass-rush toolbox. Comfortable dropping into coverage, but footwork needs honing. 

Bottom Line: Harris has enough athletic dynamism to play in space as a hybrid outside linebacker, but could be best utilized as a weakside defensive end with his hand in the dirt. A born pass-rusher, he’s 20-30 pounds and a couple of years of good coaching away from terrorizing Big XII quarterbacks.