DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Pure Football Forum Orien Harris.. No One has Mentioned Him Yet? WHY?!

Position: Defensive Tackle
School: Miami (FL)

Status: Senior

Height: 6-4

Weight: 302

40-Yard Dash: 5.20 (EST)

Positives:
He is your prototypical defensive tackle that can stop the run and get after the quarterback. Orien has all the potential in the world and for the most part he has lived up to the hype. He is a very unselfish player that does whatever is asked of him. Though his stats don't show it, he is a great pass rusher.

Negatives:
Orien has the size you look for, but doesn't take on blockers very well. He has no trouble at getting in the backfield, but rarely produces any sacks. He needs to polish his defensive moves as well.

Overview:
Orien Harris has all the potential in the world, and I think he will be a great defensive tackle. Has a nose for the ball and is constantly causing havoc in the backfield. He will make an impact on any team right away and is my sleeper pick. Watch out for this kid. He could be one of the best at his position in a couple years.

NFL Comparison: A young Warren Sapp

Orien Harris, DT
Miami
Overview | Analysis | Agility Notes | Injury Report
Career Notes | High School | Personal


OVERVIEW

The heart and soul of the Hurricanes' defense, Harris replaced Vince Wilfork as the team's dominant force in the middle of the defensive line. Blessed with an incredible wing span and large hands, Harris simply engulfs quarterbacks and ballcarriers when attacking in the backfield. He hopes that his productive career at Miami will see him follow his brother, Kwame, (San Francisco) as an early NFL Draft selection.

Kwame Harris was rated the nation's top defensive line prospect and earned All-American honors from Football News and Super Prep as a senior at Newark High School. He was named Delaware's Gatorade Player of the Year, Lineman of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year, and earned a National Top 100 selection by The Dallas Morning News. Rivals.com rated Harris the third-best defensive lineman in the prep ranks.

Harris recorded 130 tackles (95 solos), 9.5 quarterback sacks and a whopping 70 stops for losses as a senior. That season, he guided the team to a 12-0 record and the 2000 Division I State Championship. He finished his career with 496 tackles (331 solos), 33 quarterback sacks and 252 stops behind the line of scrimmage (51 percent of his total). He also excelled in the classroom, graduating with a 3.28 grade-point average.

Harris redshirted in 2001 at Miami. He appeared in thirteen contests the following year, coming up with 36 tackles (14 solos), a quarterback sack, fourteen pressures and a fumble recovery. As a sophomore in 2003, he teamed with Wilfork to form a punishing tackle tandem. Harris collected 39 tackles (14 solos) and ranked second on the team with eight stops for losses and 18 pressures. He also registered four sacks.

As a junior, Harris made 55 tackles (16 solos) with 1.5 sacks, 12 stops behind the line of scrimmage and 14 pressures while starting every game. He continued to man the right defensive tackle position in 2005. Harris finished sixth on the team with 40 tackles (18 solos) and delivered 3.5 sacks, 11 stops for losses and nine pressures. He also recovered a fumble.

In 48 games with the Hurricanes, Harris started 34 times. He recorded 159 tackles (63 solos) with eleven sacks for minus-56 yards and 30 stops for losses of 108 yards. He was credited with 54 quarterback pressures, deflected two passes and recovered two fumbles.



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ANALYSIS

Positives: Has very good balance and lower body power to push the pocket, stack and control...He possesses a good wingspan and massive hands to grab, pull and jerk the blocker to the ground...Does a good job of reading blocking schemes and feeling pressure...Two-gap tackle who can utilize his strength and leverage with effectiveness to split double teams...Keeps his balance charging up field and stays low in his pads to slip off blocks when shooting the gaps...Strong bull rusher who generates the punch to rock guards back on their heels...Good tackler with the strength to hit with pop upon contact... If he stays low in his pads and keeps his base wide, he is very difficult to move off the ball...Hard worker off the field and showed maturity and leadership ever since arriving on campus...Competitive type who may lack that nasty attitude you want in the trenches, but will not take plays off...Very effective when colliding and wrapping in close quarters.

Negatives: Will need to add more bulk if he is to shift to nose guard...Has strong, long arms, but keeps them close to his chest too much, failing to get proper placement to consistently push off on the blocker...Has a good straight-line burst, but struggles to redirect and will fade away from the play when he has to pursue outside the box...Will sometimes be late getting his hands up and is slow to cross the face of a blocker in attempts to defeat blocks...The bigger offensive linemen easily contain him when Harris plays with his arms short...Stays on his feet and shows good balance at the point of attack, but can be cut when trying to move down the line and will take time to get up... Has adequate lateral quickness, but struggles to change direction...Lacks the quick twitch moves to gain immediate penetration coming off the ball.

Harris has a compact frame with thick upper body muscle tone, thighs and calves. He has room to add more bulk for a possible move to nose guard. He plays with good leverage at the point of attack, showing good balance when flowing to the ball. His raw power allows him top stack and control effectively, but he fails to use his hands to keep blockers off his body when sliding down the line.

Coming off the snap, Harris does not generate the burst needed to get on the edge of a blocker and is inconsistent in attempts to gain advantage. His best opportunity to get into the backfield is when he shoots the gaps. Harris is alert to blocking schemes and is able to feel pressure, but outside of gap control, he is a liability making plays in pursuit.

Harris has the raw power to win battles at the line of scrimmage, but needs to learn how to shed quicker. Even with his long arms, he does not fully extend to reach into the blocker and does not seem to have a natural feel for when he should use his hands to engage. His leverage and balance allows him to keep his feet closing on the pocket. When he fails to get good hand placement, the bigger blockers are quick to lock on. When he sinks his weight and extends his arms in front, he generates a very strong push to drive the guards back into the pocket.

Harris has enough short area lateral agility to flatten, but does not have the timed speed or acceleration to chase down plays in long pursuit. Most of his problems with the bigger blockers come when he fails to cross their face and take his time coming out of his stance. When he gets stuck on a block, he does not get into pursuit angles. He is a powerful bull rusher, however. He shows good effort to finish and can power his way through the gaps. When having to chase down ballcarriers along the perimeter, he will get cut blocked and seems to fade away from the action.

Coming out of high school, Harris was touted as the most dominant defensive tackle in the game. He has had some injury issues, but none that would cause him to just produce adequately, as he has done during his career. Sure, he shows flashes of dominance, but it is very rare to see him play with consistency throughout a game. He is a punishing bull rusher with a good feel for blocking schemes, but sometimes you can time him with an hourglass rather than a stopwatch -- he looks that sluggish coming off the ball.



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AGILITY NOTES

Campus: 5.22 seconds in the 40-yard dash...355-pound bench press...415-pound squat...318-pound power clean...33 1/8-inch arm length...11 1/8-inch hands.



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INJURY REPORT

2003: Suffered a knee sprain vs. Virginia Tech (11/01) that required arthroscopic surgery, forcing him to sit out the next two games vs. Tennessee and Syracuse...Sprained his elbow in the first quarter vs. Florida State in the Orange Bowl (1/01/04), missing the rest of that game.
2005: Limited during spring drills after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his right shoulder (3/22).



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CAREER NOTES

Started 34 of 48 games during his career...Excels at pushing the pocket, registering 54 quarterback pressures during his career...21 of his 30 stops behind the line of scrimmage came during his final two seasons.



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HIGH SCHOOL

Attended Newark (Del.) High School, playing football for head coach Butch Simpson...
Rated the nation's top defensive line prospect and earned All-American honors from Football News and Super Prep as a senior...Named Delaware's Gatorade Player of the Year, Lineman of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year and earned a National Top 100 selection by The Dallas Morning News...Rivals.com rated Harris the third-best defensive lineman in the prep ranks...Recorded 130 tackles (95 solos), 9.5 quarterback sacks and a whopping 70 stops for losses as a senior. That season, he guided the team to a 12-0 record and the 2000 Division I State Championship...Finished his career with 496 tackles (331 solos), 33 quarterback sacks and 252 stops behind the line of scrimmage (51 percent of his total)...Also excelled in the classroom, graduating with a 3.28 grade-point average.



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PERSONAL

Criminology major...Brother, Kwame, was an All-American offensive tackle at Stanford who presently plays for the San Francisco 49ers. The 49ers selected Kwame in the first round of the 2003 NFL Draft...Born Orien J. Harris on 6/03/83...Resides in Newark, Delaware.

NFL Comparison: A young Warren Sapp

if i remember correctly he was suppose to be a day one pick in last year's draft, but fell to day 2.

Seriously, he is contrary to Simon Fraser....an underachiever....and at best he matches Frasers production

I think it takes time to develop these young kids, even your high drafted DL. Very few come in and get it done early on. This is why its often better to target a former first round bust at DL than it is to draft a DL. It simply takes time.

I agree almost 100%.


Speed outside pas rushers, are better when young, IMO

I disagree.. as we've seen with Wimbley who has had some success... he's got 1, maybe 2 moves... Offensive tackles now have enough film on him to know what to expect and they are doing a decent job with him... He still needs another full year or two before we will see him at his best.. He needs to learn a little variety, how to mix things up, and develop another move or two.... so "young"? Yes.. but rookie.. no.

I thought U were going to say if Harris can't beat out someone like Frasier someone should be fired, or something along those lines <img src="/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

... he's got 1, maybe 2 moves...

I think we need help at DE and this guy may have some future potential to be disruptive in the backfield.

They drafted Fred Gibson out of Georgia 2 years in RD 2 or 3 a couple years ago and he was gone like quick.
.

Just remember - Diam taught me a long time ago. Over Achievers like Fraser is nice and a football team of 22 starters definately will utilize them. But nothing can beat TALENT.

Remember that Safety they had, Brent Alexander, I think his name was? I think he was a wasted 2nd round pick too. St. Pierre was also was wasted 4th rounder.

Lord do we, I was thinking the other day that we need productive defensive ends for the future, even thinking that could be an option for us to draft.

Remember that Safety they had, Brent Alexander, I think his name was? I think he was a wasted 2nd round pick too. St. Pierre was also was wasted 4th rounder.

BSP was a 5th round pick.Brent Alexander was a 2000 FA pickup from the Cards.