[painekiller]

Brandon Harris

Brandon Harris CB Miami


TALENT BOARD

Round 3



STRENGTHS

Brandon has good athletic talent. He shows on film decent speed and does a solid job supporting the run. Brandon has nice tackling skills and works well in zone coverage. He has a long stride and has good make up speed. Brandon wants to be the top dog of the defensive backs on his team, which is not a bad thing. Brandon looks like he has a good work ethic, gives excellent effort on every play and stands up to a challenge. This attitude will serve him well at the next level.



CONCERNS

Right now, Brandon has a lot of technique work to do and he must get stronger. Brandon looks into the backfield on every play no matter if he is in zone or man coverage, which will be a big problem at the next level. He allows separation because his head is turned looking into the backfield. He is being used by his college team as their top corner and this has given Brandon a false sense of his true talents. He wants to be a ball hawk, but unfortunately, he lets up on too many big plays. He will be susceptible to falling, tripping and penalties as well as stop and go pass routes among many other problems because he looks into the backfield at the snap of the ball. He hasn't learned how to read routes or wide receivers and will be easily set up for the big play by smarter wide receivers and quarterbacks. I also don't see the quick twitch and hip flip that a true top corner has to have to be considered, in my opinion, a 1st round selection. Brandon has a good attitude and I suspect that after he gets burned and benched, he will learn to be coachable and could turn into a solid #2 CB for some team...eventually.



BOTTOM LINE

It's real simple: there is talent here, but the techniques are so bad that I have to wonder who was coaching him at the college level or if Brandon is coachable. When you have talent, you can get away with bad techniques at the college level. In Miami's bowl game against Notre Dame, Brandon got abused like butter on lobster. It really showed me what I had been thinking all year about this kid. It showed me that this kid has a lot of issues that need to be corrected along with adding strength so that he can tackle better. But to his credit, he never got down on himself and he continued with good effort the whole game, which makes me feel that Brandon does have the potential to succeed...eventually.
The BS Detector
Drew Boylhart Feb/11

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Latest News
03/28/2011 - Miami Pro day: Brandon Harris, CB - Harris (5-9 1/2, 194) posted a 34 1/2 vertical and stood on his combine numbers otherwise. He was strong in positional workouts, and is in line to be drafted near the bottom of the first or top of the second round. - Gil Brandt, NFL.com

Full *Brandon Harris News Wire
Overview

Harris' Hurricanes career didn't start or end according to plan, but he still has an excellent chance to be the next in a long line of Miami defensive backs to be selected in the first round.

Highly recruited out Miami's Booker T. Washington High School, he was coached by his father and 2007 USA Today National Coach of the Year, Tim Harris, who was a four-time All-American track star for the Hurricanes. Brandon Harris didn't have as much immediate success, struggling to produce big plays and getting picked on a bit when he was thrown into the fire as a freshman.

He used that experience to bounce back with an excellent 2009 season, ranking second in the country and leading the ACC with 15 passes defensed. With opponents reluctant to throw his way last year, Harris registered a modest 48 tackles, eight pass breakups and one interception.

More important, a season Harris said he and his 2008 classmates should dedicate to Randy Shannon turned out to be highly disappointing. When the dust settled, Miami was 7-6, Shannon was fired and Harris opted to declare a year early for the NFL Draft.

"Every year, my confidence rose," said Harris. "I'm at the point right now, my confidence is so high and I believe in myself a ton."

Like every good cornerback, that self confidence remains despite a rough outing in his final game for the Hurricanes. In a 33-17 Sun Bowl loss to Notre Dame, Harris had coverage responsibility on several of wide receiver Michael Floyd's six catches for 110 yards and two touchdowns.

"In the game of football, plays are going to be made," said Harris. "You're either going to learn from it or you're going to decrease as a player. I think it helped me more mentally to go out and evaluate it and give me something else to work on."
Analysis

Read & React: Quick to recognize run and does a nice job of coming up in support. Reads the body language of the receiver and is typically in good position to a make a play on the ball due to his instincts and standout athleticism. Rarely out of position, especially when playing man to man. Does a nice job of focusing on his receiver rather than peeking into the backfield, though this leads to fewer interceptions than he'd have if he "cheated" more.

Man Coverage: Better in man to man coverage than zone due to his pure athleticism. Quick feet, loose hips, good balance and outstanding speed to remain in the hip pocket of his opponent. Doesn't back down from the challenge of playing bigger receivers. Keys on the receiver and gets his head around late. Quick hands to knock passes away, but doesn't have the time to locate the football, leading to more PBUs than INTs.

Zone Coverage: Improved his overall recognition as a junior, but remains a better man to man corner than zone defender. Good feel for where receivers are around him, but can get flat-footed and savvy QBs can "push" him laterally, opening up holes for receivers to expose. Generally a reliable open-field tackler, but isn't a punisher.

Closing/Recovery: Possesses outstanding game speed, including a late burst to recover if beaten initially. Can plant and drive downhill on the ball. Good recognition to know when he's beat and to make the tackle and when he has a chance to break up the pass or go for the interception. Times his collisions well so he doesn't draw the flag. Times his leaps well to compete for jump passes and shows good hand-eye coordination to slap away the ball as the receiver is attempting to secure it. Doesn't turn enough PBU's into interceptions, however, only securing four despite 26 passes defensed over his career.

Run Support: Recognizes run quickly and isn't afraid to come up in support. Good agility and flashes physicality to break free from receiver blocks. Maintains his containment responsibility and will force the back inside. Isn't a physical tackler, too often resorting to duck and swipe techniques, but gets the man on the ground.

Tackling: A reliable open-field tackler, but isn't always pretty doing it. Has a tendency to lead with his shoulder and/or lunge at the defender, resulting in some precarious tackles. Flashes the ability to deliver a pop, but relies too much on arm tackles. Has to do a better job of wrapping up the ballcarrier, though important to note that he did not miss a tackle on the games reviewed. Occasionally asked to blitz off the edge. Times the blitz well, shows good closing speed and the wherewithal to strip the football. Did take a terrible angle on a big play by Notre Dame WR Michael Floyd in the Sun Bowl.

Intangibles: Passionate and accountable. Quoted as saying that he and his classmates (2008 signing class) should dedicate their 2010 season to head coach Randy Shannon and that they were largely to blame for Miami's inconsistency. (Despite Harris' words, Shannon was ultimately fired.) Ran track for Miami as a freshman in the 60 meter (indoor), 400 meter (outdoor) and 4x400 meter (both). Good bloodlines. Coached in high school by his father, Tim Harris, USA Today's National Coach of the Year (2007). His brother, Tim, Jr. was a four-time All-American in track for Miami. Only needs to serve a two-month internship to earn his bachelor's degree in Business.

Compares to: Phillip Buchanon, Redskins - Will Harris equal the sum of his parts? Like Buchanon, another former Hurricane, he's an excellent athlete who needs some technique work to produce more game-chaning plays.

--Rob Rang

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