Nyck Harbor

[Twopointtry]

Nyck Furrey

South Carolina has a huge and blazing fast WR named Nyck Harbor. Earlier in his career, Harbor was a sprinter and ran one of the fastest 100 meters in USC's history. PFF expects him to run in the 4.3 second range in the 40 at the Combine. DraftBuzz projects his time at 4.24 seconds, which would be just off the Combine record.

Draft experts who are intrigued by his rare combination of size, weight and speed say that he could be the next DJ Metcalf, who was a late 2nd round pick. Skeptics echo PFSN's opinion about Harbor in the middle of last season, when they said that he wasn't a draft worthy prospect and had a long way to go to become a complete WR.

South Carolina's WR coach is Mike Furrey, a former NFL player. Furrey was primarily a special teams player when he played for the Rams at the tail end of the GSOT era. He was a backup WR and even filled in at safety. In 2006, playing for the Detroit Lions and Mike Martz, Furrey authored one of the most stunning seasons I've ever seen. He exploded for 98 catches for 1,086 yards and 6 TDs. He was 2nd in the NFL in catches, behind only Andre Johnson of the Houston Texans. He had more catches that season than Marvin Harrison and Torry Holt. Roasting CBs with precise route running, displaying physical toughness after the catch and shifty quickness for YAC, he was like a bigger version of Julian Edelman. Furrey was an UDFA who had to battle his way through the XFL and arena football just to make it to the NFL. He should have been too small and too slow to stay on an NFL roster. He went to UNI, the same school that produced Kurt Warner and if it weren't for Warner's even more remarkable personal story, Furrey would have one of the greatest underdog stories for a former Ram.

Nyck Harbor isn't difficult to describe. He's uber athletic but very raw. Due to his impressive physical attributes, he was expected to breakout since the moment he arrived on campus, but those high expectations have never been fulfilled. He drops passes and he doesn't run routes well. The consensus among experts is that he's a Day 3 prospect and might even go undrafted if he doesn't show improvement in 2026.

I don't think it is necessary to dissect his film in too much detail, because if an NFL drafts him, it will be based on what they speculate he could become in future years, not on what he looks like right now. He's a classic high ceiling, low floor, flyer type prospect.

Whether Harbor should be a draft target for the Rams and where he should be tiered on a draft board are complicated questions. When you see my NFL comp for him, I think it will help explain why.

 

[Twopointtry]

Part 1: Background

Name, Age: Nyckoles Harbor. Turns 22 in July of 2027. Studying public health with minor in cardio vascular technology.

Size, estimated speed: Listed by USC as 6'5'' tall, 239 pounds. Draftbuzz 4.24 seconds, Draftscout 4.32 seconds, 6'4 5/8'' tall and 235 pounds. Walterfootball 4.53 seconds (I'd ignore this one. Is it a typo?)

5-star recruit from D.C. If you're an old school MLS fan and remember the early days of the league, you probably remember his dad, Jean Harbor, who played for the Colorado Rapids. 30 years can pass in the blink of an eye.

Played TE and DE and ran track in HS. At USC, posted 10.11 seconds in the 100 meters. 6.73 seconds indoor 60 meters, placing 8th in conference championships. Skipped track in 2025 to focus on football.

USC fired Mike Shula as their OC after 9 games in 2025. They had another OC, Dowell Loggains, in 2024. Their new OC for 2026 is Kendal Briles. Mike Furrey became their WR coach in 2024.

2023 (11 games, 5 starts): 12-195-1 receiving, 2-10 rushing
2024 (13 games, 8 starts): 26-376-3 receiving, 1-1 rushing, 1-45 KR
2025 (11 games, all starts): 30-618-6 receiving, 1-12 rushing, 11-242 kick returns, 1 fumble

Taken to hospital for precautionary reasons after defender landed on his chest against TXAM in 2025, missed one game.

NFLDB 3rd round, 90 overall. (+) Blocking, athletic freak. (-) Raw route runner, low production, 4 out of 10 contested grabs, drops.
PFF big board 70 overall: Yet to live up to billing. Perhaps the best raw athlete in draft class. Reported 4.3 second range speed for Combine.
NFLMDD simulator 107
PFSN simulator 202
Drafttek 185
Sam Teets 4th round tier, 107 overall just ahead of Ryan Coleman-Williams.
Ian Cummings not selected in 3-round mock draft
Brian Bosarge (Draftcoutdown): (+) Generational alien physical blueprint, athletic freak, 22.4 mph measured, the fastest player in college football, eats up DB cushions. Right after the 2026 draft, Bosarge made a mock draft for 2027 that had Harbor as the 28th overall pick, 1st round.
Walterfootball 9th WR, 1st to 3rd round projection

 

[RamFan503]

Walterfootball 4.53 seconds (I'd ignore this one. Is it a typo?)

Just Walter football.

 

[Memento]

Don't like Harbor at all. Top target for Sellers, but he was lazy as hell on the field, didn't bully people as much as he could've, looks for the flashy highlight-reel play instead of the play that he could make easily without fanfare (attempted one-handed catches that he could've easily caught, had he used two; I saw a potential touchdown that he could've caught, had he used both hands. Instead, he dropped it with one hand), not a very willing blocker, especially for his size, etc.

He's big and fast, sure, but give me Charlie Becker over Nyck Harbor every day.

 

[Twopointtry]

Don't like Harbor at all. Top target for Sellers, but he was lazy as hell on the field

Since I agree with what Memento just said, let's switch up the order and start with his weaknesses before we talk about strengths.

Part 3: Weaknesses

Shaky, inconsistent hands. Has been plagued by drops in his career.

Not a 3-level threat. Mainly was used as a deep ball guy. Too frequently, the offense just had him run straight vertical routes. It felt like they didn't trust him to run a full route tree.

Has long legs and takes inefficient steps coming off the line on shorter routes. Inefficient tip toe steps at the break. High hips make it challenging for him to sink and explode in and out of breaks.

"Too tall" for football. When running a wheel route where he has to shift his body and change his path, he can't execute the movement in a fluid manner. Maybe his natural center of gravity is too high and he's a heavier WR. Not suited for complex routes that require intricate movements. Took extra steps to stop on an intermediate curl.

Big size also makes him a big target for jams and for tackles. Can get knocked off balance in the stem if hit from the side. Could have long term durability concerns in the NFL, because he becomes a magnet for big hits once he has the ball in his hands. Calvin Johnson also got hit frequently playing with Stafford in Detroit.

Lacks understanding of how to craft and adjust the angle of the route to fit the defensive coverage. Poor instincts for how to uncover for the QB against zone coverage or during scramble drill. No nuance to his routes. Didn't adjust double move to fit the technique of CB playing off coverage. Body lean tips off the CB as to the direction of the break at the top of the route.

One of the plays that really bothered me, he's supposed to run 2 yards up the field, then stop. When Harbor turns to the QB, instead of staying stationary, he drifts away from the LOS. How do you mess up a 2-yard route?

Below average ball tracking and adjustments on downfield passes. Sometimes late locating the pass with his eyes. His lack of ball skill instincts can neutralize his size advantage in contested catch situations.

Typically, he lacked aggression as a blocker. Plays soft against smaller CBs despite having intimidating size and length advantage. Sometimes very passive blocking in space, allowing smaller CBs to load up and blast him instead of taking the initiative and delivering the first blow. In general, a poor blocker for an athlete that has the physical tools to be a dominant and devastating blocker.

Limited lateral elusiveness after the catch. He's best when he can catch the ball and run forward but not very dynamic if he has to try to dodge tackles.

Limited career production for a former 5-star recruit. While he has improved and has only focused exclusively on football for one season, he's still raw and has yet to show that he can reach his high potential.

 

[Twopointtry]

Part 2: Strengths

While much of his tape is disappointing, when Harbor gets it right, his best plays are phenomenal. Top shelf. The DK Metcalf comparison isn't off base. If Harbor could figure out how to unlock his full potential, I think he'd be very similar to Metcalf.

Let's start with his blocking. Typically, he doesn't put much effort or focus into his blocking. When he does try, however, he's a fantastic run blocker. Blasted CB 5 yards backwards with a violent 2 hand shove. On a red zone run, completely obliterated the CB, hands inside the frame, then drove the CB backwards into the end zone. I know he physically can do it, because he's shown it on tape. Why doesn't he block like that more often? Got me, I don't know. When he does hustle and gives effort blocking, he has excellent blocking range in space, because he's fast and has so much length.

While his hands are unreliable, he has a strong grip and can hold onto catches through heavy contact from DBs.

Light on his feet for such a large WR. His body type makes me think of Kevin Durant, the basketball player. Not muscle bound or lacking in flexibility.

"I'm bad... until I'm not." Made a clutch TD catch in 2024 against Bama. Made clutch 4th down catch on a "must have it" late 4th quarter drive. In 2025 against TXAM, there's about a minute left in the first half. He catches a short curl route. As the safety closes in, Harbor takes 2 powerful strides towards the middle of the field to make the safety miss. Harbor is at about his own 35 and the middle of the field is now open. There are 3 defenders even with him for a 65-yard race to the end zone. He's gone for an 80-yard TD. In the blink of an eye, a one-man 2-minute TD drive. Harbor has game breaking, game changing big play ability.

Sometimes, the quality of his route is irrelevant. He's simply too fast and just runs by the CB even if the route is sloppy. Who needs disguise? Leaves CBs eating his dust as he races downfield on deep posts and corners. Like many true deep ball threats, his 40-yard dash time doesn't tell the whole story. This guy was a 100 meters sprinter. He can pour on the speed way downfield, beyond 40 yards. The football field is almost too small to showcase his deep speed. The bigger the QB's arm, the more threatening Harbor becomes. There were opportunities to attack deep that USC couldn't take, because the pass blocking didn't hold up long enough and Sellers the QB typically would take off scrambling since he's a great runner, instead of being able to look for long bombs. Football fast. Not just a track guy. Can hit the gas and accelerate when needed, powerful strides on jet sweep. Has extra gear, not a one speed runner.

Potential to be deadly on deep over routes. This was my favorite play on his tape. Didn't even result in a stat since he didn't catch the pass. It is a medium 3rd down. Harbor is in a tight split, close to the OL. The DB gives him a huge cushion of 9 yards. WR explodes across the field on a deep over with turbo speed, rocketing past the DB and stacking him. My jaw hit the floor when I saw this play. There simply aren't many athletes who could do that and get behind the defender with no fake or release move, just pure, flat-out speed. The QB misses the throw, so the play won't appear on any highlight video. If I'm McVay, however, I'm thinking "Hey, I have a QB who can make that throw. That route will work on our team."

CBs are so scared of his deep speed; it can result in large available spaces in the intermediate area of the field. So, the route doesn't need to be perfect for him to be open.

I'll call it the "Jared Cook effect". If a player drops many passes, it can cause fans of that team to become fixated on that shortcoming to the exclusion of the positive contributions the player can make. Jared Cook wasn't a bad player. He was a good receiving TE. He's just not a good option to build an entire passing offense around. You don't want Cook to be your number one weapon. If he's like the 3rd or 4th guy, however, it could work out great. I bet fans would complain far less about the drops as long as the offense as a group was explosive. The GSOT dropped passes and had fumbles too. The very powerful 2001 Rams team led the NFL in turnovers that season.

The point I'm trying to make is that if we're talking about using a 1st round pick on Harbor to become a WR1, his weaknesses are extremely important. If we're talking about making him a Day 3 pick to be a WR3 or WR4, I don't know if they matter as much. You can be an effective NFL WR even with frequent drops. Jameson Williams led the NFL in drops last year. Puka had the most drops in the league his rookie season. That same year, JSN of the Seahawks had one of the worst drop rates among all WRs. I feel that PFSN was too harsh by saying Harbor wasn't draft worthy. Okay, I 100% understand saying that Harbor is very overrated as a potential 1st round pick. But we're not even taking him in the 6th or 7th rounds? I don't know if I'd go that far.

I question whether he was used properly by South Carolina or is even playing the correct position. I think he could be dangerous attacking the seam and running diagonally across the field more often instead of being on the outside and running vertically up the field. I'd try to talk Harbor into becoming a hybrid player, essentially a flex TE, instead of being a traditional WR. Don't make him the first offensive player to run downfield and try to hit him deep. Instead, stretch the field with a different WR, then use him like a TE and exploit the space with underneath throws. He's more likely to catch those and not have to make difficult adjustments. Then, he can use his speed to try to create YAC. In an NFL offense, the OC will be better at designing plays for him. I didn't feel that USC was very creative in how they used him.

Has excellent length. Can stab the CB at the top of the route to create separation. Flashes potential to expand his route tree. Ran a nice 7 step slant. Displayed good physicality and aggression with "Get off me!" discard of CB to defeat jam. He's built for physical NFL battles and can use his size to separate. It just isn't easy to find on his tape, because it only shows up on rare occasions. Maybe he's an ascending player and the lightbulb is starting to come on. USC's head coach says that Harbor is one of the hardest working players on the team. I'm concerned about why his breakthrough hasn't happened yet, because his WR coach is a former NFL WR coach. Harbor's interviews aren't overly impressive either. Still, if we give him the benefit of the doubt, I do think there are small signs of development.

 

[Twopointtry]

Part 4: Draft Grade and Pro Comp

4th round grade. Darren Waller (6th round 2015, Baltimore Ravens, Georgia Tech)

Waller played WR on a triple-option, run oriented team at GT. He also was generally considered to be an underachiever in college. He had very limited receiving production, never reaching at least 500 yards in any season of his career. I didn't know he had a serious drug problem, but you could tell from his interviews prior to the draft that something was off about his personality. It's a miracle that he didn't die.

Waller was suspended for an entire season in the NFL for substance abuse. In one of the most remarkable personal and athletic turnarounds I've seen, he resurrected his career and became an excellent Pro Bowl receiving TE for the Raiders. In 2025, he returned to the NFL and played for the Miami Dolphins.

How did I decide on a 4th round grade? Because that's the round where the Rams drafted Jacob Harris in 2021. Technically, it was the compensatory portion of the round, so almost the 5th round. Harris was a former soccer player, relatively inexperienced at football. He played in a very simplistic spread system offense in college at UCF. He as 6'5'', 219 and ran 4.39 seconds in the 40 at his pro day.

Harris struggled with injuries while with the Rams. We experimented with trying to make him a TE. He bounced around on the PS of a few other teams. His career stats are 1 catch for 6 yards. In 2025, Harris led his UFL team, San Antonio, in receiving yards with 295 yards. Kellen Mond, a high 3rd round pick in the same draft class as Harris, was the QB on his team.

Nyck Harbor is a big, strong and very fast but he's a raw and flawed WR. I predict that some NFL team will still gamble on his athletic upside, because that's almost always what happens in the draft with these types of prospects. Personally, I'm not sure his eventual position in the pros will be at WR. Harbor might be better served returning to the position he played in high school, tight end. He's not big enough to be a "Y tight end" attached to the OL but if you move him out to the slot and play more like a big WR, I think he could find a role.

 

[Tano]

Part 2: Strengths

While much of his tape is disappointing, when Harbor gets it right, his best plays are phenomenal. Top shelf. The DK Metcalf comparison isn't off base. If Harbor could figure out how to unlock his full potential, I think he'd be very similar to Metcalf.

Let's start with his blocking. Typically, he doesn't put much effort or focus into his blocking. When he does try, however, he's a fantastic run blocker. Blasted CB 5 yards backwards with a violent 2 hand shove. On a red zone run, completely obliterated the CB, hands inside the frame, then drove the CB backwards into the end zone. I know he physically can do it, because he's shown it on tape. Why doesn't he block like that more often? Got me, I don't know. When he does hustle and gives effort blocking, he has excellent blocking range in space, because he's fast and has so much length.

While his hands are unreliable, he has a strong grip and can hold onto catches through heavy contact from DBs.

Light on his feet for such a large WR. His body type makes me think of Kevin Durant, the basketball player. Not muscle bound or lacking in flexibility.

"I'm bad... until I'm not." Made a clutch TD catch in 2024 against Bama. Made clutch 4th down catch on a "must have it" late 4th quarter drive. In 2025 against TXAM, there's about a minute left in the first half. He catches a short curl route. As the safety closes in, Harbor takes 2 powerful strides towards the middle of the field to make the safety miss. Harbor is at about his own 35 and the middle of the field is now open. There are 3 defenders even with him for a 65-yard race to the end zone. He's gone for an 80-yard TD. In the blink of an eye, a one-man 2-minute TD drive. Harbor has game breaking, game changing big play ability.

Sometimes, the quality of his route is irrelevant. He's simply too fast and just runs by the CB even if the route is sloppy. Who needs disguise? Leaves CBs eating his dust as he races downfield on deep posts and corners. Like many true deep ball threats, his 40-yard dash time doesn't tell the whole story. This guy was a 100 meters sprinter. He can pour on the speed way downfield, beyond 40 yards. The football field is almost too small to showcase his deep speed. The bigger the QB's arm, the more threatening Harbor becomes. There were opportunities to attack deep that USC couldn't take, because the pass blocking didn't hold up long enough and Sellers the QB typically would take off scrambling since he's a great runner, instead of being able to look for long bombs. Football fast. Not just a track guy. Can hit the gas and accelerate when needed, powerful strides on jet sweep. Has extra gear, not a one speed runner.

Potential to be deadly on deep over routes. This was my favorite play on his tape. Didn't even result in a stat since he didn't catch the pass. It is a medium 3rd down. Harbor is in a tight split, close to the OL. The DB gives him a huge cushion of 9 yards. WR explodes across the field on a deep over with turbo speed, rocketing past the DB and stacking him. My jaw hit the floor when I saw this play. There simply aren't many athletes who could do that and get behind the defender with no fake or release move, just pure, flat-out speed. The QB misses the throw, so the play won't appear on any highlight video. If I'm McVay, however, I'm thinking "Hey, I have a QB who can make that throw. That route will work on our team."

CBs are so scared of his deep speed; it can result in large available spaces in the intermediate area of the field. So, the route doesn't need to be perfect for him to be open.

I'll call it the "Jared Cook effect". If a player drops many passes, it can cause fans of that team to become fixated on that shortcoming to the exclusion of the positive contributions the player can make. Jared Cook wasn't a bad player. He was a good receiving TE. He's just not a good option to build an entire passing offense around. You don't want Cook to be your number one weapon. If he's like the 3rd or 4th guy, however, it could work out great. I bet fans would complain far less about the drops as long as the offense as a group was explosive. The GSOT dropped passes and had fumbles too. The very powerful 2001 Rams team led the NFL in turnovers that season.

The point I'm trying to make is that if we're talking about using a 1st round pick on Harbor to become a WR1, his weaknesses are extremely important. If we're talking about making him a Day 3 pick to be a WR3 or WR4, I don't know if they matter as much. You can be an effective NFL WR even with frequent drops. Jameson Williams led the NFL in drops last year. Puka had the most drops in the league his rookie season. That same year, JSN of the Seahawks had one of the worst drop rates among all WRs. I feel that PFSN was too harsh by saying Harbor wasn't draft worthy. Okay, I 100% understand saying that Harbor is very overrated as a potential 1st round pick. But we're not even taking him in the 6th or 7th rounds? I don't know if I'd go that far.

I question whether he was used properly by South Carolina or is even playing the correct position. I think he could be dangerous attacking the seam and running diagonally across the field more often instead of being on the outside and running vertically up the field. I'd try to talk Harbor into becoming a hybrid player, essentially a flex TE, instead of being a traditional WR. Don't make him the first offensive player to run downfield and try to hit him deep. Instead, stretch the field with a different WR, then use him like a TE and exploit the space with underneath throws. He's more likely to catch those and not have to make difficult adjustments. Then, he can use his speed to try to create YAC. In an NFL offense, the OC will be better at designing plays for him. I didn't feel that USC was very creative in how they used him.

Has excellent length. Can stab the CB at the top of the route to create separation. Flashes potential to expand his route tree. Ran a nice 7 step slant. Displayed good physicality and aggression with "Get off me!" discard of CB to defeat jam. He's built for physical NFL battles and can use his size to separate. It just isn't easy to find on his tape, because it only shows up on rare occasions. Maybe he's an ascending player and the lightbulb is starting to come on. USC's head coach says that Harbor is one of the hardest working players on the team. I'm concerned about why his breakthrough hasn't happened yet, because his WR coach is a former NFL WR coach. Harbor's interviews aren't overly impressive either. Still, if we give him the benefit of the doubt, I do think there are small signs of development.

Stop calling them USC. The real USC is on the west coast.

 

[RamFan503]

Stop calling them USC. The real USC is on the west coast.

And OSU is in Corvallis, OR. Home of the original OSU.

By two years, but still…