Demetris Harris Scouting Report

Demetris Harris Scouting Report/ Demetris Harris NFL Draft Prospect Report

Guard, University of Southern Florida Bulls, #64

Demetris Harris Measurements

6′ 3″ / 320 lbs

Demetris Harris Draft Player Profile

Harris, now a senior at USF, began as a 3 star recruit according to 247 sports. He played his high school ball at Robert E. Lee High, where we was named to the 7A All-State roster. Harris weighed only 270 lbs as a high school senior, but he has added nearly 50 lbs to his frame. He was ranked the 51^st best guard coming out of high school.

Although he received offers from schools like Coastal Carolina and Mid Tennessee State, he decided to stay home and play ball in Florida. During his freshman season he broke his thumb and had to have surgery. Since his return from injury, he has started every game he has played in for USF.

A self proclaimed gamer and lover of football, Harris says he plays for the love of the game in an interview with draftdiamonds. His athleticism at his size would make him a great player to build for a game of Madden. However, Madden is not real life. In real life Harris still has work to do.

Demetris Harris Strengths

Athleticism

Harris moves well for a man his size. His first step when he is pulling is elite. He gets out of his stance and around the corner much faster than one would expect. His top speed may not be as elite, but it’s not often that offensive guards need to run 40 yard sprints in a game. You can see his first step when he is asked to pull and the USF offensive coordinator has him do so often.

Versatility

Harris has played guard for the entirety of his USF career, but he has taken many snaps at center in practice. We all know NFL teams love offensive lineman with versatility. On top of potential positional versatility, Harris has had to play in multiple different offensive systems. He has experience in a power scheme, a pro system, and an RPO heavy scheme.

Experience

Demetris already has three years as a starter behind him. This will be his fourth. In each season he has shown growth. In just the first two games of 2021, I see even more growth. If he can continue to show he hasn’t reached his max potential and continue to gain experience, he may be able to rise onto some teams’ draft boards.

Demetris Harris Weaknesses

Consistency

USF offensive line featuring Demetris Harris.

Harris looks good on most of his film in his stance and balance. However, there are plays where he gets sloppy. He will get caught reaching, which causes him to lose leverage and position. This allows his defender to beat him easily. When cut blocking, I see him dive too early and miss his assignment from time to time. These are coachable, as it isn’t his lack of ability causing it, but rather occasional mental errors. This needs cleaned up during the season if Harris wants to play on Sundays regularly.

Strength

The last known bench numbers I could find from USF have Harris completing 26 reps at 225. When he plays he looks strong enough to hold his position, but when I’m looking for NFL starters I want to see more dominance and power. He looks for the extra defender to hit, but I never see him dominate defensive lineman with his power. This worries me as I don’t see him competing against much NFL talent.

Demetris Harris Overview

Harris plays well enough to garner attention. Heck, even one of our followers, Samuel Williams, recommended we look at him closer. However, at this point I see Harris as a late round draft pick due to his positional versatility and his ability to play multiple schemes. Unless Harris begins to stand out more, I’d say at best he is a journeyman back up in the NFL. I have him graded lower than one of my sleepers at guard last season Sadarius Hutcherson, who was signed by the Buccs as an undrafted free agent this summer.

I don’t think the shotty quarterback play behind Harris helps him either. There isn’t much pre-snap recognition of the defense from the quarterback. This would allow the play to be changed in order to counter the defensive look. I am also not a fan of how Harris is used in the RPO. He pulls often, but the coordinator pulls him away from the play. This is a travesty because one of the things Harris does so well is pull. With better play calling, Harris has potential to look much better.