The befuddling belief in LA Rams newest tight end Jacob Harris
By Bret Stuter
Sky’s the limit skyscraper
Complicating all of that is the matter of a young man with the sky-is-the-limit potential but incredibly light football experience in the form of 6-foot-5 219-pound tight end Jacob Harris. He can make plays that flash All-Pro potential. Then, just as suddenly, he can appear to be a guy who truly won’t make the roster. The challenge right now is that he is neither, and yet he is both.
Let’s back it up a moment.
Los Angeles Rams
The young man who was drafted by the LA Rams with the 141st pick of the 2021 NFL Draft was chosen a bit higher than his fifth-round grande. But he is a very tall, fast, and athletic target out of the University of Central Florida (UCF) who walked onto the football team in 2017. He was a special teams ace in 2018 and finally latched on as a bona fide offensive weapon in 2019. He further flexed his muscle on offense in 2020 before entering the 2021 NFL Draft.
Due to his size, strength, power, and athleticism, it is hard to tell how much of Harris’ sudden success has to do with his football acumen, and how much is simply due to the fact that he was so much bigger stronger, and faster than the competition in college football. That disparity of his talent to that of the competition will narrow considerably in the NFL. Still, the Rams coaching staff, and in particular, Coach McVay believes in Harris’ ability to achieve his full NFL potential.
He is already appearing to be leaning towards a successful NFL career, albeit it is far too early to conclude it is a sure thing. But he is starting to look the part of an NFL receiver (although his tight end blocking skills are nothing to cheer about just yet.). He was targeted seven times against the LA Chargers (even during the time when they played starters on defense). He caught four passes for 43 yards, enough to lead the receivers on the day.