New England picked up the Alabama man with the 87th

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GradesPC’s Picks: My take on the Patriots selecting Damien Harris in round three
of the 2019 NFL draftNew Hjalte Froholdt NFL Draft ,63commentsRead more:How Damien Harris fits the Patriots offenseEDTShareTweetShareSharePC’s Picks: My take on the Patriots selecting
Damien Harris in round three of the 2019 NFL draftMatthew Emmons-USA TODAY
SportsWith the 87th overall selection in the draft, the New England Patriots
made a rather surprising decision by addressing one of the deepest positions on
the team: the Patriots drafted running back Damien Harris out of Alabama.87th
Overall - Damien Harris RB My first reaction to the news was not positive. I
wouldn’t say I was apoplectic but I felt there were better options available. I
think out of all the draft picks my opinion of this one has seen the most
positive improvement from where I was when it was first picked. Grade: B What I
LikeI want to take you back to a press conference with Tom Brady where he
specifically mentions the deep desire for the offense to have a short yardage
back. At the time he was discussing the pick in the context of Sony Michel. It
was an intriguing answer but it also left me a bit perplexed. Michel is not a
short yardage specialist, so it did not appear like the need matched up with the
talent. You know what player does match the short yardage specialist profile?
Damien Harris.Be warned future fantasy players, I see some nice Michel-dominated
drives that end with Harris swooping in to take the touchdown. I think it is
clear the Patriots have a specific role in mind for Harris and I think he has
the capacity to fulfill that role admirably. Everything about him screams short
yardage back. He has the build, the efficiency, the technique and the power.
Michel and Harris are both two-down backs but their skills are not entirely
duplicative.Another thing to like about Harris is his pass protection. He
displays well above-average skill in this arena which will make it very easy to
put him on the field as a rookie. Another thing to like about Harris are his
hands. He doesn’t have the speed or route running skills to be an adept pass
catcher but his hands are quite natural meaning he at least gives you something
in the passing game.Another element to like about Harris is his leadership
qualities. Like Sony Michel he was a two-time team captain who was given
impressive marks for his character. Harris can also participate on special
teams. I think the best case scenario for Harris fills an (apparently) critical
role as a short yardage guru who pass protects well and offers a sprinkle of
versatility through dump off passes and special teams. What Concerns MeTo be
perfectly honest I don’t have a lot of concerns with Harris. If the concerns
with Chase Winovich and Joejuan Williams are that their major physical
deficiencies limit their floor Hjalte Froholdt Buffalo Bills Jersey , the concern with Harris is that his physical deficiencies limit his ceiling. He is the classic high-floor, low-ceiling
prospect in my eyes. People have compared him to Michel because he was
productive out of a committee but make no mistake: the former first-rounder is a
superior talent, which is reflected in where he was picked.Pats Pulpit reacts to
the Damien Harris and Yodny Cajuste picksSubscribe to the Pats Pulpit podcast
for more draft reactions!That leads us to the issue of value. On one hand, the
Patriots have been had issues with running back both in 2015 and 2018. On the
other hand, how much do you really want to value the fourth depth option of the
least important position in football? The Patriots would be fine if Rex
Burkhead, Sony Michel or James White missed a game. Would they be okay if Julian
Edelman or N’Keal Harry did the same?People bring up the injury concerns with
Michel and Rex Burkhead Youth Devin McCourty Jerseys , but I could levy the same concern at nearly every position. Not to mention you can grab solid running backs through free
agency, through the last four rounds of the draft, or even through undrafted
free agents. It’s much harder to do that with other positions. The potential cap
gains are also limited.Harris does not do what Burkhead or White do so I’m not
convinced this lets us move past either. But even if he causes New England to
move past Burkhead it only saves the team a few million in cap relative to
another position that might save them significantly more. I think the realistic
worst-case-scenario is that Harris offers minimal value for a third round pick,
not necessarily him busting as a prospect. Closing Thoughts on the GradeAs for
Harris, the B is purely the result of his limited value. He’s a safe pick. I
think he will fill a need the team desired to fill. I don’t see very much upside
here. As long he fills his role at a high level I can be satisfied with taking
him at the bottom of the third, hence a B grade. Overall Devin McCourty Jerseys Stitched , I think the Patriots did well for themselves on day two. There is definitely some significant risk but there is also some
legitimate upside. You are going to have to take risks when consistently picking
at the bottom of the draft. In this case I think these risks are calculated
ones, with better than even odds of paying off in big way.FanPulse: Both
Patriots and Lions fans think New England will beat the spread Welcome to SB
Nation FanPulse — a survey of fans across the NFL, powered by SurveyMonkey. Each
week, we send 32 polls to 100+ plugged in fans from each team. Patriotsfans,
sign up HERE to join FanPulse.The Matt Patricia era of the Detroit Lions has
gotten off to a slow start with losses to both the New York Jets and San
Francisco 49ers. Patricia, the former New England Patriots defensive
coordinator http://www.patriotslockerroom.com/authentic-john-hannah-jersey , was supposed to inject the Detroit defense with some new life, but they’ve
allowed an average of 39 points per game.In Patricia’s defense, 7 points came on
a pick six. It’s a weak defense.But now Lions fans aren’t believing in their
team anymore and it’s showing up in the data. When we ask fans to predict the
final score in our FanPulse survey, they typically provide homer results with
their teams exceeding the Las Vegas projection. This isn’t the case with
Detroit.The Patriots are 7-point favorites over the Lions and Pats Pulpit
readers believe New England will win by 10 points. This is similar to the
4.5-point homer edge both Patriots and Jaguars fans had in week 2 and 1-point
homer edge the Patriots fans had and 8-point homer edge (!!) that Texans fans
had in week 1.Instead of leaning towards their team, Lions fans project the
Patriots to win by 9 points. Lions fans are so down on their team they expect
New England to cover the spread. That’s not good.I mean, I hope they’re right
and that the Patriots crush the Lions White Julian Edelman Jerseys , but that’s just disheartening to see. All I have to say is that the Patriots started the Bill Belichick era 0-4 and eventually
2-8, before turning it around in season two and going on a pretty solid run of
success. Give Patricia time.
Posted 14 Jun 2019

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