Marcus Harris, IDL, Auburn
Size:
Height: 6’2.5”
Weight: 286 pounds
Arm Length: 32”
Hand Size: 9 5/8"
Accomplishments:
All-SEC (2023) • 5-star recruit
“Marcus Harris is an active, undersized interior defensive lineman who has flashed disruptive abilities to impact the quarterback.”
Strengths:
Strong frame/build
Knock-back power
Lateral agility
Concerns:
Double teams
Pass-rush counters
Arm length
Film Analysis:
Marcus Harris wore more than his share of alignment hats for the Auburn Tigers’ defense, spending time reduced inside as a 1-shade to outside as a 5-technique.
Harris has good body control and strength in the run game. He can maintain and secure single-gap duties. He shows good lateral agility to handle working down the line of scrimmage versus zone running concepts. Surprisingly flexible and agile. Harris has a spin counter versus the run after forcing an IOL too far into the backfield after generating an initial push. His motor should never be questioned—he battled until the play was over. He has a strong pursuit to the football.
As a pass rusher, he will need to consistently win with his quickness. He owns the leverage battle due to his low pre-snap stance. He drives with a low shoulder pad level and coils from his hips/trunk. He displayed a nice swim move to quickly discard his blocker to get into the backfield.
Harris is an undersized defensive lineman who could be categorized as playing out of position. While he has a well-built and dense frame, when handling double teams as a reduced defensive tackle, he can be moved off the ball and driven back. Harris lacks functional arm length to lock out blockers at the point of attack and keep his pads clean. Similar to a boxer losing the reach battle, he fights well in tight quarters but not from a distance. His pass-rush repertoire needs to expand. Harris can benefit from adding more hand counters to deconstruct blocks quickly.
Harris projects as a rotational 5-technique defensive lineman in an odd-front defense with starter potential. He is functionally strong and it shows in the run game with single-gap responsibilities. If paired with a nose tackle on running downs, he can live as a 3-technique defensive tackle. Harris has flashes of pass-rush ability, increasing his potential to start in the NFL.
Prospect Projection: Day 3 — Developmental Traits
Written By: Damian Parson
Exposures: Alabama (2023), Georgia (2023), LSU (2023), Ole Miss (2023)
