NFL DRAFT PLAYER PROFILE: New England used their first pick in the sixth round (21st, 187th overall) to draft defensive back Antwan Harris from the University of Virginia. Harris is considered to be a very good athlete with excellent speed.
Name: Antwan Harris – # 26
Position: Defensive Back
Height: 5′ 10″ Weight: 185
High School: Ravenscroft HS
Hometown: Raleigh, NC
DOB: 05/29/1977
New England used their first pick in the sixth round (21st, 187th overall) to draft defensive back Antwan Harris from the University of Virginia.
Harris is considered to be a great athlete with excellent speed. He ran an extremely quick 40-yard dash (4.39), and despite his size of 5’10” has above-average coverage skills. He also has a 39-inch vertical leap. One of the knocks on Harris however is that he is not considered to be a durable player, playing no more than nine regular-season games in a year.
Harris athletic ability made Virginia head coach George Welsh take notice during Virginia’s dramatic 20-17 upset of No.6 North Carolina back on November 16th, 1996. With the Cavaliers trailing 17-3 and UNC in possession of the football at Virginia’s 9-yard line, Harris who at the time was a true freshman, stepped in front of Octavus Barnes to intercept Chris Keldorf’s pass. The 5-foot-10, 178-pound safety returned the pickoff a school-record 95 yards for a touchdown that sparked Virginia to a 17-point fourth period. Following the game Welsh admitted that he wasn’t even aware that Harris was in the game. The play was Harris’ first on defense in the game.
He was later named ACC Rookie of the Week following the victory against North Carolina.
Many scouts feel that Harris could be a decent player in the NFL if he can simply stay healthy. He missed three games in ’98 with hamstring and toe problems and four in ’99 with injuries.
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Ian Logue is a Seacoast native and owner and senior writer for PatsFans.com, an independent media site covering the New England Patriots and has been running this site in one form or another since 1997.
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