Crimson Tide Scouting Report: Linebacker Christian Harris
Earning the starting job his sophomore season, linebacker Christian Harris went off in 2020. His 79 total tackles were just one shy of team leader Dylan Moses and he also had an impressive seven tackles for loss including 4.5 sacks.
There's no doubt that Harris has the opportunity to really impress in 2021. However, will his skills stack up at the NFL level as well? Here's what NFL Draft Bible had to say in Harris' scouting report:
Christian Harris
No. 8
Pos: Linebacker
Ht: 6-2
Wt: 232
DOB: 01/16/2001
Draft Eligible: 2022
Hometown: Baton Rouge, La.
High School: University Lab
Pros:
Very good athlete accelerates and reaches his good speed quickly making him rangy at the second level. Harris is a communicator on Alabama’s defense, getting teammates lined up and calling out audibles. He is a patient run defender who can scrape and flow fairly reliably. Once he triggers his explosiveness to the ball carrier is apparent. Stacking blocks with his length, he places his hands well and has plenty of functional strength to hold up against bigger opponents. Harris flashes violent hands and upper body strength to disengage. He has his hands ready to take on blocks at all times. His pursuit angles are conservative but get the job done. In coverage, he is very springy and fluid, possessing all the movement skills to succeed in zone or man coverage on tight ends. When blitzing, he is a consistent threat thanks to his burst. Solid open-field tackler.
Cons:
Inconsistent eyes lead to a lack of splash plays in the backfield. Harris can overrun angles when flowing laterally, allowing for cutback lanes. He is not a reliable tackler, getting juked out due to a lack of twitch and often coming in too high. In zone, he does not have the desired instincts, struggling to locate routes behind him and playing with bad spacing at times. Dynamic opponents separate at the top of routes from his man coverage. Blitz timing can be late.
Summary:
Athletically gifted linebacker with explosiveness and length. Harris is a modern-day player able to run cover and blitz. He has the physical traits and leadership qualities coveted. As a tackler, he is not reliable and in space, he lacks desired instincts to be a difference-maker. Harris projects as a future starting inside linebacker, ideally at WILL to take advantage of his movement skills. He has the tools to be special in the future.
Grade: 7.8/8.7
Bama Central Analysis
Harris put himself on the college football map in 2020 but was slightly overshadowed by Moses at linebacker. This year, however, Moses is gone and Harris will take over the primary leadership role at the position. His ability to communicate with both the defensive line and backs is one of his most valuable skills in his toolbox, but his explosiveness and ability to adapt on the fly to opposing offenses really take that asset up a notch. Harris still exhibits weaknesses, though. Speedy opponents can create separation from his man coverage and his timing on blitzes could use some work. That being said, if Harris is able to continue improving this upcoming season, he looks to be one of the Crimson Tide's top defensive prospects heading into next year's NFL Draft.
Alabama Athletics
Crimson Tide Scouting Report is a 17-part series on Alabama's prospects for the 2022 NFL Draft, with evaluations by NFL Draft Bible and analysis by BamaCentral. Check out his profile on NFL Draft Bible.
