DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Pure Football Forum Desmond Harrison

I watched this kid the other night closely from the Detroit game he was driving his man 5 yards off the ball.

I kept saying to myself this is second/third team players the guy he is up against is a bum, seems its a regular thing with this cat. I am certain he has some rough edges but it sure sounds like we may have gotten lucky.

Enjoy


Browns LT Desmond Harrison: The improbable untold story of the next man up to replace Joe Thomas
By Mary Kay Cabot, cleveland.com | Posted September 06, 2018 at 08:14 PM
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Desmond Harrison prepares for Steelers along with Greg Robinson. Joshua Gunter, cleveland.com

BEREA, Ohio - Almost exactly one year ago, Browns rookie offensive lineman Desmond Harrison retweeted a story about former Browns left tackle Joe Thomas becoming the only player in NFL history to play 10,000 consecutive snaps, using a flexed-muscle emoji to celebrate the the incredible feat.

Little did he know at the time that he'd be gearing up to likely replace the future Hall of Famer when the Browns open the season Sunday against the Steelers at FirstEnergy Stadium - as an undrafted rookie. Hue Jackson will make the announcement on Friday, but signs are pointing to Harrison getting the nod over Joel Bitonio, who will slide over a spot back to left guard.

That Harrison (6-6, 295) is even on an NFL roster after veering so far off track is remarkable.

After getting kicked out of Texas following the 2014 season - a year in which he was suspended three times, tested positive a few times for weed, got shot in the upper thigh, and never saw the field - he sat out of football for two more years, trying to figure out his next move. It seemed that football might be over for him, but he never gave up.

He put his head down, relied on his faith and worked his way back onto the football field, this time at tiny Division II West Georgia on the border of Georgia and Alabama. It wasn't the enormous stage of Texas, but it was just what the big man needed to get his life and football career back on track.

After Harrison, 24, went undrafted because of off-the-field concerns and a failed drug at the NFL Combine according to Bleacher Report's Matt Miller, the Browns scrambled to sign him as a free agent, beating the Giants to the punch.

Now, he's got a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to step in for Ironman Joe Thomas and erase those three lost years.

"I had a first-round grade on him,'' said one longtime NFL scout. "There's not 16 better starting left tackles in the league than this kid if he can do the right things.''

It's the stuff that NFL dreams are made of, and here's how it all went down:

By Mary Kay Cabot
cleveland.com


Big 💪🏾 pic.twitter.com/n3FCdhpfdr
— Desmond Harrison (@DezHarrison68) September 17, 2017

1. Go West, Young Man

Harrison was born in Houston and grew up with mostly hoop dreams, especially as he approached 6-6. Bouncing around to three different high schools in part because of a challenging upbringing, he spent his freshman year in Houston but then moved to North Carolina where his mother lived.

He then transferred to Oak Ridge Military Academy in North Carolina for his senior, returning to the football field as an offensive linemen. Harrison was so good he became a three-star recruit and ultimately committed to Auburn. But he didn't have the grades to enroll, and followed his mentor and coach out to Contra Costa Community College in California, where he played for two seasons.

As a sophomore in 2012, Harrison was named first-team JUCO All-American and became the highest-rated JUCO offensive lineman that year. Most of the big-time schools took notice. After making official visits to USC, Oklahoma, Arizona State and NC State, Harrison committed to Texas, where he was won over by coach Mack Brown and his staff.
2. 'This may be a top 5 pick in the draft'

Then-Texas offensive line coach Stacy Searels, now at the University of Miami, flipped on Harrison's JUCO tape and nearly fell out of his chair.

"The first video I ever saw, I thought he was the most athletic big man I've ever seen at any level,'' Searels told cleveland.com. "He can run as fast as anybody on he field, he's out pulling in front, blocking DBs, taking the D-end and dumping him and continuing to run down the field and he was just a very, very athletic kid.''

Searels visited Harrison and his mom in North Carolina, and found a a very personable, gracious and polite young man.

"I loved the kid,'' said Searels. "He's got a great personality, beautiful smile, bright eyes, and he wanted to be good.''

The first day that Searels, a former Auburn lineman himself, got to work with Harrison on the field, he thought, "Wow, this may be a top 5 pick in the NFL draft.''

Searels knew one when he saw one. He had coached plenty of future NFL linemen in his day, including former Bengal and current Ram Andrew Whitworth, a four-time Pro Bowler.

But Harrison ran into another academic snag when BYU refused to immediately approve some transfer credit, and he wasn't able to practice for his first four or five weeks with the team.

"Then he hurt his ankle and that set him back,'' said Searels. "There were many setbacks that year.''

Still, Searels "played him the first week even though he had only practiced a few times because I knew he was that talented. I just wanted to get him on the field.''

Harrison played in only seven games a junior that year because of all the obstacles.
3. 'We thought we'd only have him for one year'

Mack Brown was convinced that Harrison would be one and done for the Longhorns.

"He was so good, we thought we'd only have him for one year and then he'd be drafted high,'' Brown told cleveland.com. "But he missed so much time, he got behind. Coach Searels and I both thought he was the most talented lineman we had ever seen. We were really disappointed when it took so long for him to get cleared academically. He had freakish ability and we loved him as a kid.''

Brown said Harrison maintained his great attitude even though he wasn't playing much.

"He practiced hard every day,'' said Brown. "He was very upbeat and positive.''
4. Brown gets fired and Charlie Strong takes over

Brown and his staff were fired after the 2013 season and Charlie Strong took over. Determined to make a statement, Strong came down hard on a number of players, including Harrison. According to a source, Harrison tested positive for marijuana a couple of times that year, and Strong suspended him. The source also said that Harrison was very open with teams about that when he talked to them at the NFL Combine in February.

Strong could not be immediately reached for comment.

Harrison's West Georgia coach, David Dean, also told cleveland.com that Strong suspended Harrison for being in a car when a group of his friends robbed a convenience store.

"(Harrison) didn't go into the store,'' said Dean. "He just happened to be in the car. He had nothing to do with it. But the coaches had admitted to us they were making a statement for all of the guys on the team because it was a new staff coming in. Unfortunately he was one of those guys where it was guilt by association even though he had nothing to do with it.''

Harrison never made it on the field in 2014 despite a scout saying he "was the best player in the program, hands down.''
5. Harrison in the wrong place at the wrong time again

To make matters worse, Harrison went to Oakland over spring break that year and got shot in the upper thigh, something he admitted to teams at the NFL Combine, the source said. "All the teams knew about it, but the details were sketchy,'' the scout said. "The story was 'wrong place, wrong time.' It was out in broad daylight.''

Harrison hasn't been available to the media this week because the starting left tackle announcement hasn't yet been made.

But the incident may have contributed to his demise at Texas. In January of 2015, the school made it clear that Harrison was no longer in the team's plans and wouldn't return for the 2015 season.

Mack Brown, who was hired by ESPN as an analyst after he left Texas, was disheartened by the news.

"We just thought it was such a waste of a good young man and a tremendous talent,'' said Brown.
6. Harrison spends two more years out of football

After sitting out all of 2014 at Texas, Harrison spent the next two years out of football, working for a moving company in North Carolina and plotting his next move. Uncertain about his future, he kept his football dreams flickering.

"He was working, earning money, just wanting to get back into football and he did a great job of keeping himself in shape, so when his opportunity did come, it wasn't going to pass him by,'' said West Georgia coach David Dean. "I commend him on that. I think he knew his potential and how much he loved the game of football and that at some point he was going to get back in it and that's exactly what he did. He worked his fanny off and kept himself in shape.''

Dean explained that Harrison couldn't go back to Division I after sitting out for two years from the NCAA five-year clock standpoint, but he could go down to Division II.
7. West Georgia comes calling

Dean said that Harrison was still trying to figure out what he wanted to do when a West Georgia assistant told Dean, "'there's a guy sitting out here I think you need to take a look at. He's a guy that I think is an NFL type player and he wants to play again.'''

The Wolves reached out, Harrison came to visit and "the next thing you know, we've got him here,'' said Dean.

In Harrison, Dean a young man who was humble and hungry after three years in limbo.

"He wanted a chance and he wanted to make the most of his opportunity,'' said Dean. "You could just feel his passion and his desire to make this successful and how much he loved the game of football.''

Dean talked to Charlie Strong, who gave Harrison a thumbs up.

"They're the ones that said 'he's not a bad kid,''' Dean said. "He said, 'if I were in your shoes I'd take him.'''

Dean said Harrison was remorseful about all that had transpired, "but he never really complained and said 'hey I was done wrong.' He just took it and went on with it. It was just a matter of him being in the wrong place at the wrong time with the wrong people, and unfortunately he had to pay for it. We never had a single minute of a problem with him while he was there.''

What's more, Dean said Harrison was drug-tested several times at West Georgia and never came up positive.

He said Harrison also stayed away from the local hangers-on who sometimes led players astray.

"He never got involved in that because he knew what his future could be and he didn't want to jeopardize that,'' he said. "He probably realized this can be taken away very quickly and that's why he kept himself clean here.

"But more importantly, he was a team player. He was always watching film, he was always hanging around the coaches and when he had spare time, he was always in the football offices.''
8. A man amongst boys

With his future hanging in the balance, a rejuvenated Harrison tore up the Gulf South Conference, starting nine of his 10 games at left tackle and earning First Team Division-II All-American honors. This, despite missing three games with a sprained knee.


"You put on the tape and he was dominant,'' said the longtime NFL scout. "It was laughable at times, like something you'd see in a movie. He's running guys out of bounds, punching guys to the ground and then you go out to practice and you watch him, and just the way he bends and moves, his quickness, he's got really, really special tools.''

Dean knew right away he had something special.

"When he locks onto you and gets ahold of you, he's going to push you all the way to the whistle,'' said Dean. "He's not a dirty player at all. He's a great finisher.

"In this league, he's driven guys 10-15 yards down the field and buried them at the end. But he doesn't stand over them, doesn't clap in their face, just kind of 'hey that's my job, that's what I'm going to do' and goes onto the next play. He's an excitable player. When we make great plays he celebrates with his team. He does the right things on the field. He's that type of player.''

What's more, Dean said, "if you watched him practice, he practiced exactly the way he played. That's why I knew he had an opportunity to be successful because every day he came out and he went through every drill full speed. He went through every team period full speed. He was really attention to detail as far as fundamentals and techniques.''

Dean said after Harrison sprained his medial collateral ligament midway through the season, "he wasn't 100% but he was still a dominant player.''

Thank you god! 🙏🏾 pic.twitter.com/0hWrg0THnm
— Desmond Harrison (@DezHarrison68) November 30, 2017

9. Senior Bowl invite

Harrison was thrilled to be invited to the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala., an all-star game for some of the nation's best players. It was his opportunity to shine in front of NFL teams that may not have seen him play live at West Georgia.

But the knee didn't check out and Senior Bowl officials wouldn't let him participate.

"He was really upset,'' said the scout.

What's more, Harrison weighed in there at only 279 pounds, which sent up a red flag among NFL teams. Was he off-track again some wondered? Why was he having trouble keeping the weight on?

Dean explained.

"I think a lot of it had to do with the fact that didn't have a lot of money,'' he said. "I don't think he was eating properly. He was working very, very hard especially with his knee, and he dropped weight because he wasn't eating properly. If he gets in the right system where he's eating properly, he's going to maintain that weight. Our problem at our level is we can't afford to feed guys like that. They're on a school meal plan and they have to eat on their own.''

Said the scout: "It made you wonder what would he look like if he was 315, because he's so naturally powerful and explosive. What would this dude look like if he was carrying the weight that he should be carrying? It was pretty scary because he was abusive. He was a bully at 275 pounds.''
10. Combine rebound

By the time the Combine rolled around, Harrison bulked up to 292 pounds and his knee was healthy enough for him to run a 4.9 in the 40-yard dash, fastest among offensive linemen. What's more, he did well in interviews.

"You get to sit with the kid and talk to him and he has some charisma,'' said the scout. "He presents himself really well. He presents himself with confidence. He's got a great handshake. He looks you in the eye.

"He owns up to a lot of stuff in his background, so you kind of buy into the guy, especially the way he plays. He plays his tail off. He plays so hard and tough that you want to be in the boat with the guy, because of how physically talented he is and then his play-style. It's hard to find offensive linemen the way that kid finishes blocks. It was impressive.''

But, said the scout, teams were still wary of his checkered past.

"The red flags scared off a lot of teams,'' he said.
11. The failed test at the NFL Combine, according to a report

Bleacher Report's Matt Miller reported around draft day that Harrison was one of three players who failed Combine drug tests. The others were Texas cornerback Holton Hill, who was later signed as an undrafted rookie by the Vikings, and Florida receiver Antonio Callaway, whom the Browns drafted in the fourth round.

"It shocked me that Harrison went undrafted,'' said the scout. "I thought Antonio Callaway was a much greater roll of the dice than Desmond Harrison.''


Desmond Harrison started against the Lions. Paul Sancya, Associated Press


12. The Browns took a gamble, and now he might start

The Browns, a team of second chances especially under GM John Dorsey, gambled on Harrison in the same way they did on Callaway, signing the tackle as an undrafted rookie just days after the draft. They beat the Giants to the punch, said one source.

"If the kid can stay on the straight and narrow, it's a steal,'' said the scout.

Harrison missed the first two weeks of camp with a toe injury, but was moved up to second-team left tackle behind Joel Bitonio shortly thereafter. Now, he could move into the No. 1 spot as early as Sunday against the Steelers, in place of the great Joe Thomas.

"That's a lot of pressure, but if anyone has the right demeanor for it, he does,'' said Dean. "He's got all the makings of a great football player. He loves the game, he works extremely hard and he's takes care of fundamentals. You put all of that into a player with that type of athletic ability and he has a chance to be a special, special player.''

Said the scout, "I'm telling you, he's their most talented offensive lineman. I know they've picked guys high in the last couple of drafts but Joel Bitonio and Austin Corbett, those guys are nice players but it's not close in terms of upside ceiling.''

The Browns know they must keep a tight rein on Harrison in the same way they do Callaway. But they're on it, and have had no problems so far.

Said Searels, "That kid's got the ability to be a starter in the NFL, there's no doubt in my mind. Some kids make a mistake and they need a second chance. I hope and pray the kid has learned from his mistakes and can use the God-given ability he's got. It would be a great comeback story.''

The Browns couldn't agree more.

BrownsFilmBreakdown
@BrownsFilmBDN
Your Desmond Harrison pass sets from Preseason Week 4. Some minor slips, but plenty to like here in the footwork/hands combo. #BrownsFilmBDN

Video Link

It is very hard for me to read a MKC and take anything seriously.

Thanks for posting the vid.

Man, this kid seems to really keep his base and has really fast feet. Literally looks like man amongst boys on most plays once he gets engaged.

This is a guy I pimped back to January...I wish we still had threads going back that far. I hope he's over his troubles, he's obviously very talented.

Of all the stories going on inside the Browns this year, this is the one I want to turn out. I want Harrison to be that guy!

There's nothing from January about him, but you wanted him as an UDFA:

https://www.dawgtalkers.net/ubbthreads.ph...-up#Post1446854

And what a story it is. Some of the things are exactly what we want to hear. T

hat he's fixing his mistakes on a weekly basis and showing consistent improvement. That he's working hard and going about it the right way. That the coaches speak highly of him and feel he's engaged. That his work ethic is showing up. On some of the film, we're seeing him not just blocking but playing until the whistle and finishing off his blocks. He's had some whiffs, but he's also had some "Holy crap, this kid is a beast" moments.

It hasn't been perfect, but it's a really good sign when your no risk-high reward guy starts flashing this early. Shon Coleman was a really talented guy, but after two years he was still inconsistent and hadn't shown great improvement. Harrison, however, got more consistent as the preseason progressed and has already shown a lot of improvement.

That's really exciting, and a big credit to John Dorsey and the coaches. We've got a late round pass rusher (Avery) and an undrafted LT (Harrison) who everyone REALLY wants to get out of the field because of how quickly they've made their presence felt. It looks like Dorsey might have hit gold, while the coaches clearly got them ready.

What I find most exciting about Avery and Harrison is they're somewhat luxuries. I'm sure Bitonio and Corbett would be a fine pairing, so Harrison is a move not based on desperation but of upgrade. The same is true for our front seven; We don't need Avery out on the field, but he's been so good that he will be out there as a result.

It's not often we're in this situation. Normally we're making some kind of move hoping that a guy can handle his business. At the moment, we've got two young players showing up so much that they're forcing the team's hand.

I love it. I'm excited for Harrison. From what I've seen, it sounds like a guy who just got sick of making mistakes. Who realized what his actions were doing. Actually, Harrison and AC both seem to have that vibe in their interviews: They don't want to be the guys who had the world at their fingertips but wasted their talent. Hopefully they prove that right.

He's been Limited all week with a listed Ankle?

I can't see him going this week. We'll find out today according to Jackson.

Maybe the guy we just picked up??

Anyways, I like his footwork. Light on his feet. I can see why we like his future.

Now I'm reading that he's been taking 1st Team Reps for the past 3 weeks.

That makes me feel a bit better.

On 8/31, the day after the Lions game, we were discussing his performance over in "What I saw Preseason #4" I had re-watched the 1st 1/2 focusing on Harrison. The guy he was matched up against most often seemed to be #49 Freddie Bishop. Googling him shows he is currently a FA OLB.

You are firing up this fan. Want to see him and his feet! Luck and success! Nobody will replace JT. But somebody must write the next chapter. Let's just not nickname him 'Zeus.'

I think the decision might come down to who we're playing. All else being relatively equal, I'd rather have a rookie face Dupree and a dinged up TJ Watt than Heyward and Tuitt. If he struggles, a TE can help. We might see a decent bit of 2 TEs regardless of how he looks.

That is your takeaway after reading that article?

I thought it was a very good article w/a ton of information. I also think that he will probably be named the starter today. It would be great if he could at least be functional at LT. While I think Bitonio could do a good job at LT, he is better at LG.

I would expect Harrison to come out and be great. Just be functional and that is a huge win for the Browns. If he isn't, then we could go back to Bitonio and Corbett.

Harrison also blocked their against their starter, but the guy didn't play long.

I should add that the above is according to what I read.

excellent post

Callaway, Gordon and Harrison, sounds like the land of misfit toys... LOL

But hey, if it works, I'm good with it..

Shouldn't take Bitonio much to get back to form at LG...

Real good article (https://www.cleveland.com/expo/sports/er...ncart_big-photo), thanks for posting it. I was just gonna, but too late.

j/c

Understandably some are skeptical. I take consolation in this. Hue has been the one out front with the press. Even so, I don't believe he's making a decision of this magnitude by himself. Haley, Wylie, Dorsey, and others had to give input. Something this important has to have consensus. A lot of people in the organization must be seeing this the same way.

Good luck to the kid, I am beyond Jaded at this point I've seen these stories for two decades about bums who can't play.

Owen Maricek anyone?

The only thing I didn't like about the video is it didn't show his run blocking the kid is an animal in run blocking obviously he has a ways to go in his pass sets IMO.

I agree, only that is the norm with rookie OL.

Pretty much what I was thinking. Are we the "another chance Browns"

I just looked into Desmond's past and yeah... checkered. Shucks, let's see if Armonty Bryant wants to come back.

j/c:

I'm just happy Bitonio is back inside more than anything.

The coaches want/need to win and wouldn’t make this move if it wasn’t the best move for winning. I don’t mind it at all.

If it ends up working out, it's a great find. If not, he was only an UDFA. We move on.

I’m more worried that Corbett isn’t ready. We used a very valuable pick on him.

I don't like it. I can't see where Harrison has had much time to practice with the first string O Line, especially with Bitonio next him at LG. If it were me I would just use Harrison for a few plays and slowly work him.

The team’s been having closed practices for close to two weeks now, we don’t know what they’ve been doing.

It's official, Hue has announced Harrison is the starting LT.

Wait. Harrison tested positive for weed twice at Texas (and got shot) and tested positive for something at the combine? Shoot your shot John Dorsey.

Hoping for the football gods to finally shower some kind things on the Browns, but am prepared for this to be unmitigated disaster.

The guy played 7 games of major college football, and missed half of pre-season...lol. There is nothing here that says he should be the starting LT for a team playing the Steelers this Sunday.

Either this is the biggest diamond in the rough find since Brady or Corbett stinks. Guess we find out Sunday

I'm actually glad that we have a GM who thinks like me. Damn your morals I am trying to win games here!


Concerning that our 2nd round pick got beat out by an UDFA

Oh Browns you will never learn.

But he has not seen any game action with the starting O Line nor has he played against starters.

Uhh, we have starters, too, and in practices you can manufacture any situation you want to test him in. On top of that, he would have been going against Myles Garrett daily through all of it.

He wouldn't have gotten the nod if he wasn't doing well enough with that to make Hue comfortable moving Bitonio back inside.

No he did not, one is an OT and the other is an inside guy. I don't follow your logic.