Najee Harris is one of the biggest running backs in this class at 6’2 230 lbs which is an insane frame for a guy who has as much quickness as he does. He’s great in contact and he also has surprising change of direction ability, not to mention he’s a solid receiver out of the backfield too. All of this makes him one of the top RBs in the 2021 class.

Strengths: 

  • Amazing Contact Balance

Najee Harris just bounces off of weaker tackle attempts because of his amazing play strength and incredible contact balance. Arm tacklers are just pushed aside allowing Najee to create more big plays.

  • Keeps Legs Going in a Pile

When Najee Harris is hit his legs just keep churning giving time for more blockers to come and help while also pushing the pile. This makes Harris amazing in short yardage situations.

  • Good Burst

When Najee Harris sees a hole he hits that hole incredibly quickly. He has incredible burst and acceleration and it allows him to get to collapsing openings before they open.

  • Good COD

One thing that’s extremely surprising to see from Najee Harris being as big as he is, is his ability to change directions quickly. He moves extremely well in the open field and in tight spaces making him even harder to tackle.

  • Does Great in Traffic

When Najee Harris is tasked with running in tight spaces where there aren’t many openings he still succeeds. He has a feel for where people are coming from and this allows him to create for himself.

  • Good Stiff Arm

One of Najee’s best moves is his stiff arm. He has solid length for running back and he uses his stiff arm well. He gets so much power from behind his arm and he can effortlessly toss blockers to the side.

  • Can Hurdle Guys

Najee’s vertical leaping ability is absolutely insane. It’s not something a running back does consistently and it shouldn’t affect his evaluation too much but it’s still eye popping to see his hurdling ability.

  • Great Receiver

Najee Harris is a very advanced receiver when compared to the rest of the running backs in the class. He can consistently make catches away from his body which is rare to see from college running backs.

Weaknesses: 

  • Processes Field Slow Sometimes

Najee Harris isn’t the fastest processor of the field. There are a few plays on his tape where he makes the wrong read and he realizes about one step too late that he’s going the wrong way which limits his gain. 

  • Makes Wrong Decisions

He doesn’t have the amazing vision that many think he has, and oftentimes that leads to him ignoring open holes and hitting the wrong hole which needs to be fixed.

  • Not the Greatest Long Speed

Najee Harris has home run hitting ability because of his speed, size, and contact balance however, he doesn’t finish these runs for TDs occasionally because he doesn’t have good long speed.

  • Needs Work in Pass Protection

Najee Harris is great in the pass game but I can’t call him a surefire 3 down back in Year 1 because of the struggles in pass pro. He’s not as physical as I’d like him to be and he’s often beat by speed as well. 

Player Comp: My pro comparison for Najee Harris is Leonard Fournette previously of the Jacksonville Jaguars and now the running back for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Coming out, Fournette weighed a bit more than Najee at a smaller height but since coming to the pros he’s cut down a little and they have a similar frame. Both are tough runners who keep pushing to wear out the defense, who also have solid elusiveness and pass catching ability to make them dynamic players as well. Fournette has a bit more long speed but other than that I like the comparison between the two.

Final Thoughts: My opinion on Najee is that he is the best running back in this year’s draft class but because I value the running back position lower than others I’m going to have him lower than others on my draft board. I just don’t think that a guy like Najee who deals with this much contact will play well for very long, at least compared to other positions. I have him as an early second round guy. Najee fits man and zone run blocking schemes well and team fit shouldn’t matter too much for him. I like the Steelers and the Dolphins as solid landing spots for Najee Harris.