With a third round selection, #87 overall, the defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots have selected Alabama RB Damien Harris. Measurables: 5’10”, 216 lb. Speed/Strength: 4.57, 16 Hops (vert/broad): 37”, 121” Damien will forever be a fan favorite in Tuscaloosa after returning for his senior season, simply because he loved life at Alabama. The top ranked running back in the 2015 class, it took him a season to find his sea legs before his breakout game in the 2016 opener vs. USC. Damien is solidly built and has plenty of power, but that’s not really his game as extraordinary vision combined with a devastating jump cut finds him in open space with regularity. Damien has had the luxury of playing in a somewhat crowded backfield, which has left plenty of tread on his tires and a chance to be a feature back with longevity. Best of all, Damien can be the face of a franchise off the field as well. Watching him handle interviews with class and wit, a career in broadcasting may well be in his future after his playing days are done. Barring injury that will be a while, though, and in the meantime we will enjoy watching him make NFL linebackers look foolish. Damien will fit into the Patriots’ committee approach with James White and Sony Michel, and will likely be seen returning kicks as well. Congratulations, Damien, and Roll Tide!<doc-sep>Damien Harris is joining the reigning Super Bowl champs. The New England Patriots drafted the former Alabama running back in the third round of the NFL draft Friday night with the No. 87 overall selection. Harris ended his Crimson Tide career ranked eighth in school history in career rushing yards with 3,070 and came within 124 yards last year of becoming the first running back in program history with three straight 1,000 yard rushing seasons. A three-year starter and a 2018 team captain, Harris ran for 2,913 yards and 22 touchdowns over the last three seasons, including 876 yards and nine scores last season as a senior. Harris was the second Alabama running back to be taken in this year’s draft. The Oakland Raiders drafted Josh Jacobs with the No. 24 overall pick in the first round Thursday night. Matt Zenitz is an Alabama and Auburn reporter for the Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @mzenitz.<doc-sep>FOXBORO — The defending Super Bowl champs entered the weekend with needs across the board. Offensive tackle depth was thin. There were several departures along the defensive front. The wide receivers corps needed some young talent. Oh, and Rob Gronkowski retired. Tight end was a priority, too. There were only a few positions that would have qualified as surprises at the top of the draft: running back and interior offensive line. So the Patriots, always unpredictable on draft day, added another big-time talent to the backfield when they plucked Alabama’s Damien Harris with the No. 87 pick in the third round. New England director of player personnel Nick Caserio said the Harris pick “falls into the ‘good football player’ category relative to the other options we were looking at on the board.” In other words, Harris was the best player available. They didn’t draft purely for need. Here’s what you should know about the Patriots’ newest tailback: Height: 5-foot-10 Weight: 216 pounds College production: A four-year contributor at Alabama, Harris was never the “workhorse” back, which probably bodes well for his NFL future. He topped 10 carries in only 19 of 54 career games. He never carried the ball 20 times…As a senior, Harris averaged 3.16 yards after contact, according to Pro Football Focus…Harris topped 1,000 yards from scrimmage in three consecutive years to close his college career. Quote: “I’m just a dependable player, somebody that whenever you ask me to do something, I’ll do it. I think I just show a lot of great attributes on the field, things that help me be a great running back.” Breakdown: So where does Harris fit in the New England backfield? Sony Michel overcame two knee injuries and grew into the go-to back down the stretch, averaging 24 carries for 112 yards in the postseason. Michel was efficient between the tackles, but wasn’t a big-play threat or a factor in the passing game. Harris appears to possess a similar skill set. He’s a tough, powerful runner who can churn out yardage between the tackles. Although he lacks game-breaking speed, he should help move the chains. Given Michel’s two knee injuries as a rookie, perhaps the Patriots preferred to make him part of a committee rather than a featured back. Michel and Harris should provide a nice 1-2 punch in the coming years. James White’s role as the passing-downs back is locked in. Rex Burkhead, who can do a little bit of everything, might lose out on opportunities after the Harris pick.<doc-sep>FOXBORO, Mass. — The New England Patriots definitely didn’t need to take a running back in the third round. But they did it anyway. The Patriots selected Alabama running back Damien Harris with the 87th overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. Harris actually was Alabama’s starting running back over 2019 first-round pick Josh Jacobs last season. Harris carried the ball 150 times for 876 yards with nine touchdowns in 2018. He also added 22 catches for 204 yards. In his college career, Harris carried the ball 477 times for 3,070 yards with 23 touchdowns. He caught 52 passes for 407 yards with two touchdowns. Harris ran a 4.57-second 40-yard dash at 5-foot-10, 216 pounds with a 37-inch vertical leap and 10-foot, 1-inch broad jump. Harris was called an excellent pass blocker on the NFL Network NFL Draft coverage set. He only graded below average as a pass blocker in 2018 by Pro Football Focus, however. Harris forced 22 missed tackles in 2018, per PFF. He ranked 49th in PFF’s elusive rating metric and 36th in their breakaway percentage metric. So, where does Harris fit into the Patriots’ running back stable?<doc-sep>
Alabama senior running back Damien Harris was selected with the No. 87 overall pick (Round 3) in the 2019 NFL Draft by the New England Patriots on Friday evening. Harris was the second Alabama running back and the fifth former Crimson Tide player off the board in Nashville, Tenn. Harris passed on entering the 2018 NFL Draft to return for his senior season, and in doing so, he totaled 3,070 career yards to rank eighth all-time at UA. He is one of just eight backs in program history to eclipse the 3,000-yard mark, was named a permanent team captain by his teammates and left Tuscaloosa as a member of the winningest senior class in NCAA history. The Richmond, Ky., native was also able to earn his degree by returning to school in 2018. “It was my greatest accomplishment to date,” Harris said. “All the national championships we won, all the games we won are special. But graduating, getting my degree, that was the ultimate, ultimate celebration. My family was here, they’re all happy, they’re excited. So, it was just a great time.” Named to the All-SEC second team by the league coaches, Harris accumulated a team-leading 876 rushing yards and nine rushing touchdowns on a team-high 150 carries for an average of 5.8 yards per tote. He had 44 carries for a first down or touchdown and owns the longest run by a Tide tailback in 2018 at 73 yards. He added 22 receptions for 204 yards (9.3 yards per catch). A former 5-star prospect out of Richmond, Ky., Harris was the No. 1-ranked running back, No. 1 player in the state of Kentucky and the No. 31-rated overall player in the 2015 recruiting cycle, according to the industry-generated 247Sports Composite rankings. Contact Charlie Potter by 247Sports' personal messaging or on Twitter (@Charlie_Potter). *** Take advantage of 30% OFF our Annual VIP Pass for the first year ***