FAB 3. Harris An Interesting Mid-Round OL Prospect

You can’t judge a book by its cover, just like you can’t judge a football player by his physique.

In my 25 years of covering the Buccaneers have seen my share of Tampa Bay players that look like Tarzan and play like Jane. Guys like Marcus Jones, Sabby Piscitelli and Quincy Black come to mind.

But if you were to look at the physiques of some of the greatest Buccaneers of all-time – guys like a fat Warren Sapp, a smallish Derrick Brooks, a short Ronde Barber and a lumbering dude like Mike Alstott – you would not be terribly impressed. Those are guys that won’t wow anybody at the NFL Scouting Combine weigh-in with their shirt off.

Washington C Nick Harris – Photo by: Getty Images

I’m not going to lie. Washington center Nick Harris has a bad body. He doesn’t look like an NFL prospect. Heck, he doesn’t even look like a college football prospect.

He looks like a short, overweight mall security guard.

Harris measured 6-foot-1, 302 pounds at the Combine. He has short, 32-inch arms. He only did 20 bench press reps.

There’s nothing remarkable about him physically, except the fact that Harris is a damn good football player. And he has caught the attention of the Buccaneers, as he is one of 45 players the team had a formal interview with in Indianapolis.

“They’ve reached out to me,” Harris said when I had the chance to interview him at the Senior Bowl.

“I’d love to be a Buccaneer. Going up against Vita Vea again in practice would be great. That’s the best possible look you can get to prepare you for the NFL week in and week out. That would definitely be a good thing.”

I’m pretty sure the Bucs have asked Vea about his former Huskies teammate during their draft study. The fact that Harris sparred against Vea in practice on a daily basis for two years helped make him a two time first-team All-Pac 12 offensive lineman.

“Vita Vea was definitely the toughest guy I’ve ever had to block,” Harris said. “He’s it – easily. There’s nobody like Vita Vea. There’s no comparing that guy to anybody. He’s elite and he’s going to be playing in the NFL for a very long time.”

Bucs DT Vita Vea – Photo courtesy of the Univ. of Washington

Center Ryan Jensen will be 29 in May and is set to make $10 million this season. Jensen has a $750,000 roster bonus due next March and is set to make another $10 million in the final year of his contact. Tampa Bay may be looking for an heir apparent at the position and could consider Harris in the third or fourth round.

The Bucs have had some small, undersized centers before in Jeff Christy (2000-02) and Jeff Faine (2008-11). Christy, who helped the Bucs win a Super Bowl in 2002, was 6-foot-2, 285 pounds, and Faine was perhaps generously listed at 6-foot-3, 291 pounds.

It’s not surprising to learn that Harris has studied a lot of film of Philadelphia’s three-time Pro Bowler, Jason Kelce, who is 6-foot-3, 295 pounds.

“I mostly idolize Jason Kelce,” Harris said. “I see a lot of how I play in how he plays and I try to emulate his game. He’s not the biggest guy – he’s maybe 290 – but he plays with outstanding leverage and athleticism. He blocks on the second and third level like nobody else can, and I think that goes a long ways, especially in the NFL.

“He’s like the main person I watch. I’ve watched hours of film on him. I really look up to him. I have a connection with him through coach Howard Mudd. I like to model my game to his and try to use any techniques or tools he uses and apply it to my game because I think he’s one of the best technicians in the game right now at the center position. He moves well at the second and third levels. That’s something I pride myself on. Blocking people in space. Him being a smaller guy, he has to use different leverages and technique to win blocks. That’s something I really take pride in as a center, especially being my size. You have to be able to use those things to your advantage. He’s not the biggest guy. He’s not the biggest mauler guy that everybody’s in love with. But he’s been getting the job done for years. I think he’s a Hall of Famer.”

Washington C Nick Harris and RB Myles Gaskin – Photo by: Getty Images

Harris was a four-year starter at Washington, the first two years at guard before moving to center. Harris was instrumental in helping Myles Gaskin become the Huskies’ all-time leading rusher in 2018.

“Persistence, toughness, competitiveness,” said Washington left tackle Trey Adams, when asked to describe Harris, his teammate and roommate. “He played as a true freshman. He was 17 when he started against Alabama. So, I mean, that guy, he’s seen it all.”

Aside from Vea in practice, Harris has gone up against the likes of Auburn’s Derrick Brown, Alabama’s Jonathan Allen and Da’Shawn Hand, Ohio State’s Dre’Mont Jones and Davon Hamilton, Stanford’s Harrison Phillips, Utah’s Leki Fotu and other NFL-caliber defensive linemen during his time at Washington. Because he can’t overwhelm anyone with his size, Harris has to win with great technique, effort and hand placement.

“I pride myself on film study and self-scouting,” Harris said. “What are different ways I can beat guys technique-wise? What ways can I cause guys trouble so they just can’t use their size to win?

“I’m a smart football player. I’m a geek. I watch hours of film. I’m tough. You’ve got to be gritty, and a little scrappy, especially with me being undersized. I’m competitive. I hate to lose. I’m relentless. I love to block in space. When there is a play called and I get to run outside I get butterflies and [expletive]. That’s what I like to do. I love to prove that offensive linemen aren’t big, fat guys. We can run. We’re athletes.”

Harris’ versatility to play both center and guard is appealing to Tampa Bay, but the team sees him as a center, as his size limitation will probably force him to double team with guards in pass protection. But his mobility and athleticism to get to the second level and block linebackers or get to the perimeter by pulling on running plays and on screen passes really makes him attractive to the Bucs.

“Teams like my ability to finish blocks,” Harris said. “People talk about my athleticism and my football IQ a lot, but I take pride in finishing my blocks and being physical and making sure my opponent knows I’m there.”

During his formal interview with the Bucs at the Combine, head coach Bruce Arian noticed Harris’ Jimi Hendrix tattoo on his leg.

“He was just asking me, like, ‘Jimi Hendrix died 50 years ago,’’’ Harris said. “He was like, ‘What do you know about that?’’’

It turns out that Harris is a big fan of the rock legend. It turns out that Harris is an old soul and a throwback player. His lack of ideal size will cost him on draft day, and he could slide to the fourth or fifth round as a result.

“I think one thing that’s going to translate pretty fast (in the NFL) is my football intelligence,” Harris said. “At UW, we prepared well for the schematic part of the game and the mental preparation. I’m just a nerd for the mental part and just watching film. I watch film in my spare time just for fun.

Former Bucs LT Donald Penn – Photo by: Getty Images

“That’s something I pride myself on, especially being a center. I tried to keep those guys going at UW. We watched a lot of film. And I watched it by myself, too. At home on my TV, on my iPad, my phone – with coaches, without coaches. I just love doing it. It’s just fun. I’d rather do that than play video games. I don’t even play video games.”

I’ve seen my share of players with bad bodies before in Tampa Bay. Left tackle Donald Penn might have had the worst, sloppy body of them all. But Penn was a hell of a player. Gritty, tough, competitive, good technician, underrated athlete and a smart offensive lineman.

Harris could be the next one for the Bucs as a Day 3 steal.