Najee Harris makes Seven Tide Alumni in Senior Bowl
The Senior Bowl announced Wednesday morning it is adding one more Crimson Tide athlete to the roster as Alabama running back Najee Harris head to Mobile for the senior showcase. He joins Alex Leatherwood, Deonte Brown, Thomas Fletcher, Landon Dickerson, Mac Jones and DeVonte Smith for the week-long introduction to NFL Draft season.
Harris is unquestionably the highest graded running back heading to Mobile next week. Still, the all-time leader in rushing yards and touchdowns at Alabama still has competition to be the first running back off the board in April, and even more to prove to be a first-round pick.
Harris hasn't been placed on a roster just yet, though his Crimson Tide teammates that will be suiting up will all play on the American roster under the Carolina Panthers coaching staff, with the exception of Fletcher,. who hasn't been announced just yet.. That team features Larry Roundtree of Missouri and Kylin Hill of Mississippi State in the backfield, while the National squad will have Michael Carter from North Carolina.
The opening is there for Harris as ESPN draft analyst Todd McShay mocked Harris to the Pittsburgh Steelers with the 28th overall pick in his first mock draft of the year. The Steelers now own the 24th pick, so if McShay's analysis holds, the Black and Gold would have a slightly greater opportunity to select Harris.
Read More: McShay Mocks Six Tide Prospects in Round One of NFL Draft
Harris didn't fill up the Alabama record books on a fluke. Whether it was his vision or his ability to break tackles in the open field, Harris displays qualities NFL scouts can drool over. The biggest question for him is whether he can find tighter openings in the trenches and if a lack of break away speed will hamper him at the next level. The Senior Bowl should provide him an opportunity to at least show off his incredible patience behind the line as well as prove he can squeeze through tighter running lanes.
The 2021 Senior Bowl can be seen on NFL Network Saturday, January 30 at 1:30 p.m. CST. The event is sold out due to COVID-19 protocols and restrictions. Tide 100.9 will be on location throughout the week, providing practice, game and press conference coverage.
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