If Healthy, Tim Harris Would Provide a High-Upside 4th Cornerback
Both the No. 1 cornerback position and nickelback are already decided with Richard Sherman and K’Waun Williams locked into those spots. The other starting corner will be decided this training camp and preseason, with Emmanuel Moseley and Ahkello Witherspoon as the front-runners.
Behind them is a slew of unproven or injury-plagued corners competing for the few remaining defensive-back snaps in dollar and dime defenses.
One player that could feature in heavy-pass situations due to his height and athleticism is second-year corner Tim Harris.
The problem for Harris has never been on-field production. His inability to stay healthy stifled his development at Virginia. The oft-injured defensive back missed all but one game in both 2016 and 2017. Only a sixth-year of eligibility in 2018 saved his draft stock and put him on the 49ers’ radar.
But rather than turn a new page in the NFL, the unluckiness followed him to Santa Clara. He was placed on injured reserve in the midst of a preseason battle with Moseley and others for defensive-back snaps.
While Harris sat and learned from the sideline, Moseley ascended up the depth chart from the roster bubble, eventually seizing a starting role for the Super Bowl.
Special teams is Harris’ best path to the roster. Like Moseley last season, a good mixture of speed and tackling in kick coverage could lead to increased responsibilities on the defense. After all, it took just one Witherspoon injury for former undrafted free agent Moseley to become a starter and let his production do the talking.
With a new year and fresh chance at making the team, Harris must not only prove his on-field talent, but shed the injury bug that has stifled his development for years.
At Virginia, Harris intercepted four passes and defended 17 across 35 games. His size (6’1, 205) and speed (4.45 40-yard dash at Pro Day) fit perfectly in defensive coordinator Robert Saleh’s physical zone defense. Harris also drew praise for his tackling, quick back pedal, vertical leap and balance prior to the draft. These traits made him a quality wild-card sixth round pick (198th overall) by San Francisco.
Despite possessing the tools to succeed in Saleh’s defense, Harris could still be a roster casualty. His injury history might be too much to ignore and could prevent the 49ers from keeping him as depth.
Behind Sherman, Williams, Moseley and Witherspoon, the 49ers will likely take two or three more corners. Due to the versatility of both backup safeties, Tarvarius Moore and D.J. Reed Jr., that number dwindles.
That leaves one, maybe two, open spots for DeMarkus Acy, Dontae Johnson, Jermaine Kelly, Teez Tabor, Jason Verrett and Harris. That’s not stiff competition. None of those players are locked for the roster, and as long as Harris stays healthy, he might have the biggest upside of the bunch.
