Now that the draft has been over for a week, I wanted to check back in on some of our lower-round picks, to see what they were saying before the draft, what some other people were saying about them, and to just get a fuller picture of the player.
We start with Dwayne Harris. The Cowboys 6th-round pick out of East Carolina has turned into the early favorite as the steal of the Cowboys draft. Many people are viewing him as the Cowboys new Patrick Crayton. A guy who can play the slot, but also help in many areas on special teams. (Something I foolishly forgot to mention in my special teams post).
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Coaches who played against Harris are happy that he's gone. Like Rice Coach David Bailiff, who couldn't believe the Cowboys got Harris that late in the draft.
Bailiff's jaw dropped last week when he learned the Dallas Cowboys had selected East Carolina wide receiver Dwayne Harris in the sixth round of the NFL draft.
"I can't believe he went in the sixth round. You look at him going in the sixth and you say, ‘Wow. He's a couple of rounds higher than that.'"
What do the Cowboys like in Harris?
They like his run-after-catch ability, physical style and leadership skills.
The run-after-the-catch ability is something you see over and over about this kid. When he gets the ball in his hands, he makes things happen.
Also, Harris is a draft junkie like the rest of us.
Beginning on Thursday night, when the Carolina Panthers made Auburn quarterback Cam Newton the first overall pick, Harris planted himself in front of the TV and spent three days watching every pick of the draft as he waited for his name to be called.
Before the draft, Harris said that the offense they ran at ECU will help him in the pros.
Harris thinks another plus is the spread offense that Pirates coach Ruffin McNeill and his staff brought in last season. He said two teams - the Atlanta Falcons and the Dallas Cowboys - said the fact that the offense depends heavily on receivers gaining yardage after short quick passes will work in his favor.
And what round were they projecting for Harris?
With luck, Sims thinks Harris could get selected as high as the third round.
This kid was highly productive during his college career, and now everyone is talking about a steal. We'll see, but there's reason for excitement here.