Najee Harris is an exciting 2020 NFL Draft prospect who has room to grow

Najee Harris is an incredibly talented 2020 NFL Draft prospect who is showing off his massive upside for Alabama. However, he can be a frustrating player to watch and has to improve if he is ever going to reach his peak as a player.

Even in a 2020 NFL draft class that is absolutely loaded at the running back position, Alabama’s Najee Harris has the raw talent and upside that is always going to stand out. Harris is listed at 6-foot-2, 230 pounds and he can do things that a guy his size should not be able to do.

Harris shows an impressive combination of power and athleticism that makes him an absolute nightmare in the open field. He can make a linebacker miss in space and explode through a defensive back with power all on the same play. If this guy gets space to work, he is an absolute delight to watch.

In the second quarter of Alabama’s 47-23 victory over South Carolina this past weekend, Harris put his ridiculous natural ability in space on full display. Alabama was in a tough fourth and three situation from just past midfield. Tua Tagovailoa found Harris wide open on the left side of the field after Harris found space on a route out of the backfield. From there, Harris was able to make magic happen. Let’s just let the video do the talking.

Being able to force a defender to the ground, hurdle the next guy and then shrug off a linebacker like that on the way to the end zone is rare. A play like this is what makes Harris such an intriguing 2020 NFL Draft prospect. However, he still has flaws in his game that must be addressed if he is going to make an impact at the next level.

Harris has all of the physical traits you can want out of an NFL running back. He is obviously a powerful player, but he also has an impressive combination of speed and quickness that will play at the next level. That being said, he is just not able to get himself into the open field to show off his impressive skillset often enough.

Harris struggles when it comes to ball carrier vision. He finds himself in a hurry too often, not letting his blockers set up the play before making his initial cut. If Harris were simply more patient, he would have more consistent success at the college level.

Even when he does find some initial room, Harris does struggle to work his way out of traffic. His instincts and ability to naturally find space as a ball carrier leaves plenty to be desired. If Harris can ever clean up these vision issues, the sky is the limit. However, that is an extremely difficult skill to improve at the next level.

The upside is obvious. Harris will pop and make plays like we saw him make in the highlight above. That being said, he has not shown enough consistency for me to put him up with the top-tier running backs in the 2020 NFL draft class.