This tool kit of moves helped him pick up extra yardage often. He added six receptions for 42 yards. Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? Najee Jerome Harris Position: RB Throws: Right 6-1 , 232lb (185cm, 105kg) Team: Pittsburgh Steelers More bio, uniform, draft, salary info 1x Pro Bowl 22 SUMMARY 2022 Career G 17 34 AV 6 16 Rush 272 579 Yds 1034 2234 Y/A 3.8 3.9 TD 7 14 FantPt 182.5 409.2 Najee Harris Overview Game Logs Career Postseason 2021 2022 Player Game Finder Advanced Career This breakdown will examine Harriss collegiate production, how that translates to the NFL game and the potential fantasy implications. Very fluid when changing directions. Breakout Age refers to the age of a player during their first season accounting for 20% of the yardage and touchdowns in their offense. He also contributed another 43 receptions, 425 yards, and four scores as a receiver. Najee Harris lived amid 'two blocks of hell.' He trained in the dark. Until the Steelers get their new-look offensive line sorted out, Harris could be fighting for his life to gain yards. Their roster contains just Myles Gaskin, Salvon Ahmed and Malcolm Brown. During that elite campaign, Harris rushed for 1,466 yards and 26 scores on 251 carries. After simulating Steelers vs. Browns 10,000 times, the model predicts that Steelers running back Najee Harris goes under 70.5 rushing yards at -115 odds. In 2020, Harris carried the ball 251 times for 1,466 yards and 26 touchdowns. Because of this, teams drafting towards the end of the first or top of the second round make the most sense for Harris. Jerry Donabedian looks at top performers from 2022 and checks in on players rehabbing serious injuries or potentially headed for free agency. Head on over toSpotify,Apple, or wherever else you consume podcasts to subscribe toFantasy FootballToday in 5. Why Najee Harris will go over on rushing yards, TDs prop bets for 2021 NFL season We take a look at the odds on the table for Steelers RB Najee Harris available on DraftKings Sportsbook and make our predictions ahead of the 2021 NFL season. Alabama's Harris hurdles defender for 53-yard gain. He added one catch for 10 yards. Harris stands a #thicc 6'2 and 232 lbs that moves with equal doses of power and wiggle. 2004-2023 CBS Interactive. He will also be 23 years old when he comes into the NFL with 530 touches over his past two seasons. Has played in 34 regular-season games (34 starts), Has recorded 2,234 rushing yards and 14 rushing touchdowns on 579 attempts and added 115 catches for 696 yards and six receiving touchdowns, First running back in franchise history to rush for at least 1,000 yards in each of his first two seasons in the NFL, Went 430 scrimmage touches (347 rushes and 83 receptions) to open his career without a fumble, which was tied for seventh-most scrimmage touches without a fumble to open a career in NFL history, His 2,234 rush yards are the sixth-most in the NFL since the start of the 2021 season, His 2,930 scrimmage yards are the sixth-most by a running back in the NFL since the start of the 2021 season, One of two players in the NFL with 2,200 or more rushing yards and 650 or more receiving yards since the start of the 2021 season, One of two players in franchise history with 2,200 or more rushing yards and 650 or more receiving yards in the first two years in the NFL, Selected to the Pro Bowl as a rookie in 2021, Made NFL debut in Week 1 of 2021 (at Buffalo), Made NFL starting debut in Week 1 of 2021 (at Buffalo), Registered 1,034 rushing yards and seven rushing touchdowns on 272 carries and added on 41 receptions for 229 yards and three touchdowns, Was voted one of the Steelers' two offensive team captains by his teammates, Eclipsed 1,000 yards rushing for the second consecutive season, Finished fourth in the AFC in rushes, tied-fifth in rushing touchdowns and sixth in rushing yards, Ranked third in the League in rushes (164) and rushing yards (673) and tied-fifth in rushing touchdowns (five) after the Bye Week (Weeks 10 through 18), Broke off a 36-yard run in Week 10 vs. New Orleans, the Steelers' longest run of the season and longest run since he had a career-best 37-yard touchdown run in Week 17 vs. Cleveland in 2021, His 56 rushing yards (on five carries) in Week 10 were the most by a Steelers running back in a first quarter since James Conner had 62 yards (on eight carries) in Week 5 of 2018 vs. Atlanta, Recorded his first career game with multiple rushing touchdowns (two) in Week 11 vs. Cincinnati, leading the team with 20 carries for 90 yards along with 26 receiving yards on four receptions, Notched his first game of the season and fourth of his career with 100-plus yards rushing in Week 17 at Baltimore, finishing with 111 rushing yards on 22 attempts, His 111 rushing yards in Week 17 were the most by an opposing running back vs. Baltimore since Week 11 of 2020 (Derrick Henry, Tennessee, 133), the most by a Steelers running back vs. Baltimore since Week 4 of 2017 (Le'Veon Bell, 144) and eighth-most in series history, Hauled in the game-winning touchdown on a 10-yard pass from QB Kenny Pickett with 56 seconds left in the fourth quarter in Week 17 at Baltimore, His 307 carries, 1,200 rushing yards, 74 catches and 467 receiving yards are all ranked the most by a rookie running back in franchise history, Was one of five rookie starters, marking the first time the Steelers started at least five rookies in a season opener since 1991, His 381 touches without a fumble were the sixth-most by a rookie running back in NFL history, Led all NFL running backs in receptions (74) and finished third among running backs in recieving yards (467) behind only Austin Ekeler (647) and Cordarrelle Patterson (548), Scored his first NFL touchdown - a 25-yard TD catch from QB Ben Roethlisberger - in the Steelers home opener (Week 2) vs Las Vegas, Led the Steelers with 10 total touchdowns (seven rushing, three receiving), Caught 14 passes for 102 yards in Week 3 vs Cincinnati - his 14 receptions were the most in franchise history by a running back and tied for the third-most in Steelers history by any player,tied for the seventh-most in League history by a running back, In Week 3, became the fourth running back in franchise history to post a 100-yard receving game and the first since Le'Veon Bell (vs Cincinnati 12/4/17), Registered his first 100-yard rushing game in Week 5 vs Denver and repeated the feat in Week 10 vs Detroit, Recorded the first multi-TD game of his career in Week 14 vs Minnesota (one pass TD, one rush TD), Led the NFL in touches (377) and finished second in yards after contact (609) behind only Jonathan Taylor, One of the nation's top running back prospects who passed up on the NFL Draft to return for his senior season at Alabama, Crimson Tide's all-time leader for total TDs in a career with 57 (46 rushing, 11 receiving), Alabama's career leader for rushing scores with 46, surpassing the previous record of 42 by Mark Ingram and Derrick Henry, Totaled 3,843 career rushing yards to rank atop the Crimson Tide all-time list, Amassed 4,624 all-purpose yards for his career, a total that is second all-time at Alabama, Averaged 6.0 yards per carry for his career to rank third in Crimson Tide history (minimum 400 carries), Contributed 342 career points to finish fourth in Alabama annals, Recorded 13 games of 100-plus rushing yards in his career, including six as a junior and six in his final season (206 at Ole Miss; 152 vs. Georgia; 119 vs. Mississippi State; 145 at LSU; 178 vs. Florida; 125 vs. Notre Dame), 2020 Doak Walker Award winner, presented annually to the nation's top running back, Unanimous first-team All-American (AFCA, Associated Press, FWAA, The Sporting News, Walter Camp) in 2020, 2020 first-team All-America honors from CBS Sports and ESPN.com, 2020 second-team All-America selection by Pro Football Focus and USA Today, Selected as a semifinalist for the 2020 Maxwell Award, 2020 first-team All-SEC honoree by both the AP and the league coaches, Finalist for the 2020 Jason Witten Man of the Year, Led the nation in total TDs (30) and rushing TDs (26) in addition to scoring (180) in 2020, Finished second for single-season rushing scores by an Alabama running back with 26 as a senior in 2020, Totaled two or more rushing TDs in nine of 13 contests with at least one score in 11 games, Led the SEC and finished third in Division I for rushing yards at 1,466, Added 43 receptions for 425 yards and four TDs to his senior totals, Totaled 1,891 all-purpose yards in 2020, good for sixth in Crimson Tide records for a single season, Maxwell Player of the Week honoree following Ole Miss, Picked up offensive player of the week accolades from the SEC and Walter Camp following the matchup with the Rebels, Earned offensive player of the week recognition from the Alabama coaches for his play at Ole Miss, Auburn, at LSU and Florida in Atlanta, A January 2017 early enrollee who was tabbed as the No. . Weathering the storm, Harris became one of the best high school recruits to ever come out of the state. Alex Kozora (@Alex_Kozora) January 8, 2023 A first-round draft pick in 2021, Harris. Harris (hip) practiced fully Thursday and doesn't carry an injury designation ahead of Saturday night's game against the Raiders. Having his highest rushing total in Week 4 against the Packers totaling 60 yards. But what do you think? Frequently Asked Questions about the NFL and Football, Pro-Football-Reference.com Blog and Articles, Subscribe to Stathead Football: Get your first month FREE. Matt Gajewski graduated from the University of Wisconsin with a degree in Economics. Lets talk about expectations. Running back was immediately identified by pretty much everyone as a significant need for the Steelers, and in the days leading up to the draft, a consensus in the mock draft community built thatNajee Harriswould be the guy. It is apparent the receiving volume Harris enjoyed in 2021 was a result of Ben Roethlisberger's declining skills. Starting with one stat, which has a lot less to do with Harris than his teammates, its an easy progression to an even better second NFL season. Jim Coventry analyzes players in the AFC North who could outperform their ADP in the 2023 season, including Ravens running back J.K. Dobbins. Despite having some blocking problems in front of him, Harris has been able to rip some decent yardage each and every game. Good acceleration and suddenness, especially for a 230-pound runner. Derrick Henry2. NFL and the NFL shield design are registered trademarks of the National Football League.The team names, logos and uniform designs are registered trademarks of the teams indicated. If he played in an offense with a better line, and more consistency I would bet you his stats would be off the charts and perhaps leading the entire NFL at this point in the season. But that ranking is above players like Alvin Kamara, Aaron Jones, and Justin Jefferson. Through five contests, Harris has gained just 222 rushing yards. The Pittsburgh Steelers address the defensive side of the football early in the draft. Antioch won the Bay Valley League his junior year when they went 11-1 as Harris rushed for 2,744 yards and 36 touchdowns, and they reached the second round of the playoffs his senior year when he gained 2,776 yards rushing and scored another 34 . After all, there aren't many NFL teams that wouldn't welcome an RB praised for his ability to change direction on a dime and burst through holes with great vision . Former Alabama running back Najee Harris was the first running back taken off the board in the 2021 NFL Draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers at No. Taking the risk, Harris improved his draft stock after a career year as a rusher and receiver. Ultimately, the statistics of rushing yards for the season is what will stand out the most for a running back. The Steelers thought they had their Le'Veon Bell replacement in James Conner, but he proved unable to hold up to the workload. Excelled in both zone and power blocking schemes. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that metric and it would be considered average. He's now done for the game. All Rights Reserved. Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos.net. Harris should become a great three-down player, but running backs like him tend to incur injuries at a higher rate than others. Najee Harris Direct Contacts Phone: Email: ysq @g .com General celebrity email View Contacts Najee Harris Agent Name: Doug Email: ric @te .com Address: Larkspur, CA United States Phone: View Contacts Name: CJ Email: ab @te .com Address: Larkspur, CA United States Phone: +1 41 View Contacts Najee Harris Manager Name: Email: Address: Phone: Not expected to find himself in the elite athlete territory, Harriss closest comparisons fall in the Bell, Hill and Conner range. Even if the yards after contact remained the same, if the yards before contact were to be increased as suggested, Najee Harris would be looking at between 4.4 and 4.9 yards per carry. The following browsers are supported: Chrome, Edge (v80 and later), Firefox and Safari. Conner remains the closest comparison after leaving Pittsburgh with a 34.4% Dominator Rating and a 7.7% target share. When adjusted on a per attempt basis, Harris actually provides average efficiency metrics. We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. Pass protection needs significant work -- some of his best pass protection snaps involved him barely making contact with defenders and the quarterback just barely getting the ball away. We all know about running backs short shelf lives so getting this kid some better help is a huge priority moving forward. Heres what they had to say about their placement of Harris: Ranking rookies is always a tough ask without any real knowledge of how they will perform at the next level. Pittsburgh is just about an ideal landing spot for a player like him, and whatever longevity concerns exist are probably too far in the future to realistically impact how you should view him. Looking at those top five rushers, Pro Football Reference (PFR) has the following numbers for these players in yards before contact per rushing attempt: Jonathan Taylor: 2.6 YBC/ANick Chubb: 2.5 YBC/AJoe Mixon: 2.3 YBC/ANajee Harris: 1.7 YBC/ADalvin Cook: 2.7 YBC/A. Unfortunately, PFR began their advanced statistics in 2018 and there is not a breakdown of Bells yards before contact and yards after contact from 2014. Elite RBs get tough yards. Last year he gained 1,580 yards with 18 touchdowns. But perhaps more yardage isnt the desired outcome. 20. In 2021, Najee Harris saw 307 rushing attempts which was second in the NFL. If the rest of the Steelers offense, whether through improved offensive line play or better offensive scheme, can get Harris anywhere between 0.5 and 1.0 additional yards before contact on average, he would obviously be a much better position. He also added a 10-yard catch on his lone target in the win. The Steelers were 28th in attempts (373), 32nd in yards (1,351), 30th in RB fantasy points per game via the run (12.94), and 30th in fantasy points per rush (0.56). See red zone opportunities inside the 20, 10 and 5-yard lines along with the percentage of time they converted the opportunity into a touchdown. 7 . Of course, his receiving totals get a big boost because of his 100 yard game against the Las Vegas Raiders, but it is still pretty interesting. However, Nick Saban found Harris talented enough to get on the field in a rotational role as early as his freshman season. As a reminder, Najee Harris finished fourth in the NFL in rushing in 2021. A more accomplished receiver than most of his physical comparisons, Harris likely hears his name called no later than the second day of the draft. Everything else aside, the pressure is high for Harris to produce right out of the gate in Pittsburgh. Please check the opt-in box to acknowledge that you would like to subscribe. Given his size and running style, a career like that of former Rams star Steven Jackson wouldn't be surprising. As a junior, Harris finally received his first taste of feature-back duties with Harris and Jacobs off to the NFL. With Josh Jacobs and Damien Harris off to the NFL, Najee Harris earned the starting spot as a junior in 2019. Who was NFL . DeVonta Smith (/ d v n t / de-VON-tuh; born November 14, 1998) is an American football wide receiver for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL). Harris can go off the board as early as the No. Productive in a small sample, injuries derailed Conner early in his career. Warren showed a ton of promise as the breather back to Najee Harris in his rookie season, so he could see his role expand in 2023. Subscribe to Stathead Football: Get your first month FREEYour All-Access Ticket to the Pro Football Reference Database. Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. The Steelers made a significant investment to improve their offense's ground attack by making Najee Harris the first running back taken in the 2021 draft.Pittsburgh finished the 2020 season last . Our 2021 fantasy football dynasty rookie rankings are led by Alabama's Najee Harris, UNC's two-headed monster in Javonte Williams and Michael Carter, Clemson's Travis Etienne, and many others. A legitimate engine for the NCAA's most potent offense. 24 overall selection in the 2021 NFL Draft, Harris has been one of the league's most disappointing performers this season. Quentin Johnston: Rookie scouting profile. Patience was inconsistent -- sometimes he waited for his blockers to do their work and he'd flash, sometimes he'd shuffle his feet instead of move forward, sometimes he'd bounce right into a lineman's backside. Needs to learn to hop out of bounds to preserve his body. 4for4 Fantasy Football. Harris notched 1,224 yards and 13 scores on 209 attempts that season. 6-keys: media/fantasynews/nfl/reg/free/stories, By pressing sign up, I confirm that I have read and agree to the. However, they also have holes across the entire roster and presumed number on pick Trevor Lawrence to protect. Use without license or authorization is expressly prohibited. So, this could be an incredible match of player to team. Or write about sports? However, his production against SEC-level competition speaks for itself. He added one catch for 10 yards. The only other games where Harris had at least 2.0 yards before contact per attempt were Week 2 against Las Vegas (2.1), Week 10 against the Chargers (2.5), Week 11 against Cincinnati (2.5), and Week 17 against the Browns (2.2). Breaking the Steelers rookie rushing record with 1,200 yards exactly, its only the second time a rookie has rushed for more than 1,000 yards Steelers history with the other being Franco Harris having 1,055 yards in 1972. In 2021, the first year of the 17-game schedule, Najee Harris rushed for 1,200 yards to rank fourth in the NFL. 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