New England Patriots Draft Profile, Ronnie Harrison, S, Alabama

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New England Patriots Draft Profile, Ronnie Harrison, S, Alabama

Steve Balestrieri

He’s outstanding in run support, filling the holes quickly and a violent, punishing hitter in the trenches. He led the team with 74 tackles, (43 solos) and seven passes defensed with three interceptions.

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[Flash]

If he falls to #63 then absolutely we should take him, but that probably won't be the case. #43 is...I'm not sure if we should spend a high pick on a safety when it isn't an immediate need. McCourty and Chung have been excellent for the past couple of years and Harmon is arguably the best back-up safety in the league. Sure we could replace Jordan Richards with him but again it's not necessary. The top two picks (#31 and #43) should be spent on two of LB/EDGE/LT imo. Anything after that is fair game.

 

[WaterfallJumper]

If he falls to #63 then absolutely we should take him, but that probably won't be the case. #43 is...I'm not sure if we should spend a high pick on a safety when it isn't an immediate need. McCourty and Chung have been excellent for the past couple of years and Harmon is arguably the best back-up safety in the league. Sure we could replace Jordan Richards with him but again it's not necessary. The top two picks (#31 and #43) should be spent on two of LB/EDGE/LT imo. Anything after that is fair game.

He's probably going in the first round. I think an early safety is a very strong bet, given that Chung and McCourty are both on the back end of their careers. Replacing Richards would be a great move, both immediately and in the long term. While there are other players I might look at first (Reid, for example, who has more range and can play either safety role), having another Harrison in #37 would be great, even if just for the nostalgia.

 

[maineman209]

If he falls to #63 then absolutely we should take him, but that probably won't be the case. #43 is...I'm not sure if we should spend a high pick on a safety when it isn't an immediate need. McCourty and Chung have been excellent for the past couple of years and Harmon is arguably the best back-up safety in the league. Sure we could replace Jordan Richards with him but again it's not necessary. The top two picks (#31 and #43) should be spent on two of LB/EDGE/LT imo. Anything after that is fair game.

Harmon was a lot more than a "backup" safety the past couple seasons. As the third safety, he's become an integral part of the base personnel and coverage scheme. The D-snap percentages for safeties in 2017 were:

McCourty, 97.1%
Chung, 87.6%
Harmon, 66.2%

Those three combined for 2,659 D-snaps. The most active four cornerbacks combined for just 2,551 D-snaps. It was pretty much the same snap distribution in 2016. "The nickel" is the base now and the 3-safety/2-CB package has been the most-used for two consecutive seasons.

And the only "backup" for any of those three safeties is currently Richards.

McCourty and Chung both turn 31 during Camp. The depth of this safety class is an extremely rare thing. If there was ever a time to snag a good safety prospect to develop into a future replacement for McCourty or Chung, it's right now.

 

[Hyped]

I like his name!

 

[Gwedd]

He's from "Bama, so he's been playing in a system similar to New England's already, and also with similar language, so he'd be up to snuff faster than another safety from a different college.

I like this idea. I say draft him! Now! Soonest!

 

[ashley]

If there's even a remote possibility of him knocking Richards off the team, I'm all for it!!!

 

[captain stone]

He's not quite as explosive as the other top Safeties, but he should be able to make up for that with his aggressiveness and System Knowledge (and we all know how much Bill LOVES System Knowledge), but because of that relative lack of explosiveness, I wouldn't use either 23, 31 or 43 on him.

 

[catent]

I'm personally hoping Belichick double-dips at 23 & 31 by drafting two defensive players.

What I'd ideally like to see is:

1.) a long, athletic, versatile DL who can play multiple positions (Seymour is the prototype, although players like him aren't easy to find).

2.) a talented, 3-down LB; again, much easier said than done.

If there are no players available at that point who fit the aforementioned molds, my next choice would be a play-making safety who can play well in the box, reducing the need for LB depth. This guy appears to check all the boxes.