What Kind of Impact Will Rookie Tight End Jacob Harris Have For The Rams?

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What Kind of Impact Will Rookie Tight End Jacob Harris Have For The Rams?​

The 2021 draft was an interesting play for Les Snead and the Rams, who brought in a receiver in the second round and tight end out of UCF Jacob Harris in the fourth.

With Tyler Higbee now leading the tight end position for the Los Angeles Rams, rookie Jacob Harris walks in with impressive speed to add versatility to the position after losing a key component in the offseason.

Harris’ likelihood as an X-factor for this offense in just his rookie year is a long shot. McVay and the coaching staff are more likely to lean into rookie Tutu Atwell’s inclusion in the offense. With a shell of DeSean Jackson left and 29-year-old Robert Woods on his slight decline, Atwell will be primed to be a primary target for Stafford and the Rams going forward. With sophomore receiver Van Jefferson also a concurrent development at receiver to add in this arsenal.

Jacob Harris walks in at a VERY light frame for an NFL tight end, weighing 218 pounds which puts him in the Julio Jones, Davante Adams spectrum of bulk. For reference, Everett and Higbee are both in the 240s.

While Harris’ weight leaves some qualities to be desired, the tight end has amassed a reputation for displaying freakish athletic talent. Some fans wonder if the tight end physical attributes would allow him to split off as a receiver after flashing a 4.39 40-time and 40.5-inch vertical.

The team previously utilized a tandem of Gerald Everett and Tyler Higbee to make for one of the best duos in football. After losing Everett to the Seattle Seahawks, Higbee will take on the bulk of receiving for McVay’s 12 personnel, two-tight end packages.

In the two last two seasons with the Rams, Higbee has amassed 1,255 yards and eight touchdowns. According to PFF, Higbee was the 18th best player for the position. With Stafford’s addition to the offense after two lukewarm years from Goff, Higbee’s potential as a low end-TE1 is only getting higher.

What Harris presents in terms of potential for the Rams offense is a prospect. Or project, as many analysts dub players with a surplus in either physical or mental attributes, an uneven teetering rather than balance. Harris presents upside due to his physical abilities, but his limitations with dropping catches and no potential for blocking leave him as a darkhorse for the Rams’ offense should he see time on the field over Johnny Mundt or Brycen Hopkins.

The good news remains that the locker room will welcome a physical beast of a player, with a good determination to start winning now — pretty on point with the Rams’ mission this upcoming season.
 

CGI_Ram

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Hard to say until we see him playing equal NFL talent... But there is something about the way this guy moves that “looks like he belongs”.

Obviously I have an untrained eye, but sometimes you watch clips and you sort of see how they compare to the guys around them... to me, he looks the part.

Excited to see Harris, probably as much as any of our picks.
 

nighttrain

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Hard to say until we see him playing equal NFL talent... But there is something about the way this guy moves that “looks like he belongs”.

Obviously I have an untrained eye, but sometimes you watch clips and you sort of see how they compare to the guys around them... to me, he looks the part.

Excited to see Harris, probably as much as any of our picks.
He could be very exciting and has the attributes to add a whole new dimension to our offense
train
 

TexasRam

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Hard to say until we see him playing equal NFL talent... But there is something about the way this guy moves that “looks like he belongs”.

Obviously I have an untrained eye, but sometimes you watch clips and you sort of see how they compare to the guys around them... to me, he looks the part.

Excited to see Harris, probably as much as any of our picks.
Agreed. He has great body control and athleticism. Ability to get off the line and into routes is rare for his size. Could be a gem in this draft

My only question is if he can block in our scheme at 218 lbs.
 

nighttrain

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Agreed. He has great body control and athleticism. Ability to get off the line and into routes is rare for his size. Could be a gem in this draft

My only question is if he can block in our scheme at 218 lbs.
the biggest issue of blocking is what i call "want to", Kupp and Woods both weigh in at just over 200 lbs. and they do fine
train
 

Soul Surfer

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Since the Rams drafted two similar tight end/wide receiver types, in Harris and Skowronek, I wonder if the plan is to convert them to wide receiver.

We know that Stafford's best years came when he had a tall physical type of wide receiver with Calvin Johnson.

We also know that having a DK Metcalf type of wide receiver in your lineup definitely opens up the game for your other wide receivers.

I'm guessing that they plan on using Harris fairly early in the season while keeping Mundt as the TE2 for the two tight-end sets.

Maybe develop Skowronek on the practice squad.

Just spitballing here for the most part but none of it would surprise me.
 

SeminoleRam

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Since the Rams drafted two similar tight end/wide receiver types, in Harris and Skowronek, I wonder if the plan is to convert them to wide receiver.

We know that Stafford's best years came when he had a tall physical type of wide receiver with Calvin Johnson.

We also know that having a DK Metcalf type of wide receiver in your lineup definitely opens up the game for your other wide receivers.

I'm guessing that they plan on using Harris fairly early in the season while keeping Mundt as the TE2 for the two tight-end sets.

Maybe develop Skowronek on the practice squad.

Just spitballing here for the most part but none of it would surprise me.

Agreed!! No matter where they put Harris I think he will present a lot of problems whoever is covering him!!! I think he will present problems for CB’s & Safeties (Most Safeties) due to his Size and I think he will present LB’s problems/
challenges due to his Speed! No matter how we look at it I think Harris will prove to be a very valuable weapon for Stafford & the Rams Offense!!!
 

Ram65

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What's the over and underweight by the beginning of camp on July 25th?

I think 230Lbs would be easy to do.

Then another 10Lbs by the middle of the season to get him to 240Lbs.

The Rams have a great training staff and will get his weight up the right way with the right timing.

The bigger question is can he learn the playbook early enough to see the field? As the move TE he will have a lot of responsibilities and has to know what everyone else is doing and why. Hopkins has a year's head start on him so I expect him to see more PT. You never know so he should be ready. Hopkins still has to prove himself.
 
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Rams43

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Harris is the poster boy for this ‘Analytics Ram Draft’.

Most think his ST alone will justify the pick. But what if the kid actually blossoms in this Stafford O?

This could prove to be one of Snead’s better gem picks. Gonna be an interesting summer for this kid, I think.
 

CGI_Ram

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Since the Rams drafted two similar tight end/wide receiver types, in Harris and Skowronek, I wonder if the plan is to convert them to wide receiver.

We know that Stafford's best years came when he had a tall physical type of wide receiver with Calvin Johnson.

We also know that having a DK Metcalf type of wide receiver in your lineup definitely opens up the game for your other wide receivers.

I'm guessing that they plan on using Harris fairly early in the season while keeping Mundt as the TE2 for the two tight-end sets.

Maybe develop Skowronek on the practice squad.

Just spitballing here for the most part but none of it would surprise me.

When they announced Harris they announced him as TE.

When they announced Skowronek they announced him as WR.

I assume that means the Rams starting intentions?
 

fearsomefour

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I think he could be the steal of the Rams draft.....along with Brown.
I think the Rams will keep 4 TEs to keep Harris off the practice squad.
I think he will start out as a ST contributor and will be making plays on offense by seasons end.
 

blackbart

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The guy who wrote this knows nothing about the Rams. Woods has shown no signs of being in a decline and Everett was a minor part of the offense, so minor they didn’t try to keep him.
 

Merlin

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I do think Harris is going to need time. But then I imagine him being "up" on the sideline due to being a core teams guy and I think maybe he'll be like Scott where he's there and you work him in as you can to get looks at him.

IMO that's where they went wrong with Hopkins. Having a depth guy sitting there who can't contribute on teams is shitty. And he'll end up not being available on gameday.

Also Harris' ability on teams suggests to me he'll take to the dirty work. The crackdown blocks on DEs and assisting the OT when they have real tough matchups, which will help him get on the field quicker. It's kind of crazy to get all excited about a midround TE since we know they take time and I'm probably higher on this pick than I should be but it's just nice to see a move TE drafted who won't be more concerned with getting his nails or hair extensions done.
 

RamsOfCastamere

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Harris is tall, long, athletic, in really good shape. He looks like the most physically gifted player on offense. He looks like a matchup nightmare. Hopefully he develops into a Jimmy Graham type roll.

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oldnotdead

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On offense he might see spot snaps depending upon how well he blocks and runs routes. His primary exposure will be on STs this year. IMO if he shows he can block he could displace Mundt on the roster. This year I see Hopkins taking snaps that Everett would have played. I don't see them carrying 4 TEs and Hopkins and Higbee are locks. The only TE snaps left are Mundt's.
 

Memento

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I think he's best suited to play special teams this year, bulk up, get more pounds on his frame. After that, I think he could be a top ten tight end in the league.

As for Skowronek, y'all know my thoughts on him, so I won't rehash it.
 

Soul Surfer

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When they announced Harris they announced him as TE.

When they announced Skowronek they announced him as WR.

I assume that means the Rams starting intentions?
Probably but that doesn't mean they'll necessarily end up there.

A 219 lb tight end in Harris?

Maybe a move TE, but they even split Gerald Everett out there sometimes.

He's certainly a tweener at best that could be split out and not an inline type.

And of course he was listed as a wide receiver at Notre Dame and that's what he played.

If they want to try to convert him they're also going to have to add 20 pounds to his frame.

He's a wide receiver at the moment and could end up that way.

I haven't heard any information on where he was lining up in OTAs.

Skowronek, if they want him as a game-day active for special teams, will probably have some plays setup for him as well.
 
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