Dallas Cowboys 2019 Draft Profile: RB Damien Harris

With the 2019 NFL Draft just a week away, we examine another possible running back prospect for the Dallas Cowboys, Damien Harris out of Alabama.

The 2019 NFL Draft will kick off in just eight days, and despite not having a first-round-pick there is much intrigue into what the Dallas Cowboys will do in this draft.

Dallas has done a great job of covering themselves at almost every position this offseason except running back. Stephen Jones spoke on Tuesday and his comments made it seem even more clear that the Cowboys will select Ezekiel Elliott‘s backup in this draft.

Here’s what Jeff Cavanaugh of 105.3 The Fan tweeted to his followers recently.

"“Stephen Jones says ‘With Rod (Smith) we wonder if we had as high a caliber guy as we should have’ behind Zeke as the reason for the Damien Harris visit. Hints that RB isn’t out of the question on day two of the draft.”"

With Dallas making it clear running back is a position they are focusing on in this draft, Damien Harris out of Alabama is an interesting option. Harris was one of the teams 30 visits before the draft, so it is clear the Cowboys have some sort of interest in him.

Harris is 5-foot-11, 215 pounds and was a very productive college player at Alabama. In 2016 and 2017, Harris rushed for over 1,000 yards each season and combined for 15 total touchdowns in those two years. In his senior season in 2018, extremely talented runner Josh Jacobs who is also entering this draft came on strong at Alabama and took some carries away from Harris.

He still had a very solid season rushing for 876 yards on 150 carries and scoring nine touchdowns, but overall Harris is just not seen as high as Jackson is in regards to being an NFL back. At the combine, Harris ran a 4.57 40-yard dash, recorded a 37-inch vertical jump and a 121-inch broad jump.

Harris is a powerful runner who provides toughness to an offense. He is a patient back and is not in a hurry to hit the first hole he sees. He is a very willing blocker in the passing game and did a very good job on blitz pickup at Alabama. Harris does not possess breakaway speed, but his feel in the running game and ability to catch the ball out of the backfield make him an all-around complete running back.

There is much uncertainty surrounding where Harris will be taken in the draft. Some people have him as an early second rounder and think Dallas would need to take him with pick 58 to get him, and some have him sliding as late as the fourth round. How teams feel about Harris themselves will play a big role in if he is a Cowboys late next week.

It seems unlikely that unless they are wiped out at every position Dallas would use pick 58 on Harris, but if he is there at pick 90 I think it is a decent possibility. The Dallas front office has not been shy in saying they need to upgrade the running back position in this draft and I feel they would be comfortable using a premium pick on a guy like Harris.

If Damien Harris takes a slide in the draft and is available in the third round, the Dallas Cowboys may be drafting an Alabama running back for the second straight year.