Harrison @ TE????

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UberDoober

UberDoober

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One of the themes that came up consistently in an offseason study exploring other NFL teams was the idea of searching in-house for every possible answer before signing an external free-agent. One example that stood out was in Jacksonville last season, where the Jaguars were looking for a mismatch-type running back who could catch passes out of the backfield and ultimately tailored a role for undersized rookie receiver Ace Sanders along those lines.

This thought came to mind today after sharing an opinion on the Patriots' needs, and listing tight end in the No. 3 spot.

The Patriots currently have three tight ends on the roster -- Rob Gronkowski, Michael Hoomanawanui and D.J. Williams -- but after further inspection, it's possible they have a fourth; he's just listed as a wide receiver.

It's Mark Harrison.

The former Rutgers Scarlet Knight is 6-foot-3 and 231 pounds, which is about as big as it gets for a receiver and almost puts him into a "move tight end" classification. Harrison had some things going for him coming out of Rutgers but went undrafted and then didn't pass a physical with the Bears (foot injury). The Patriots signed him on May 20 and he ended up spending last year on season-ending injured reserve.

The expectation is that he'll be a full participant in the team's offseason program which starts April 21, and three things stood out when looking into Harrison as a possible fit into the Patriots' tight end discussion:

1. At least one other NFL team, in the pre-draft process last year, viewed Harrison as more of a "move" tight end than a receiver.

2. Harrison's former Rutgers teammate, receiver Tim Wright, made the same transition to tight end with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last season and totaled 54 catches under coach Greg Schiano. Harrison is actually bigger than Wright (6-4, 220).

3. The Patriots are fairly well stocked at receiver, and with a lighter tight end depth chart combined with a draft class that is sparking some questions, Harrison might have the best chance to emerge as a tight end.

Some football food for thought as we consider areas of the Patriots' roster and the team's level of need.

http://espn.go.com/blog/boston/new-..._/id/4760948/mark-harrison-as-possible-te-fit
 
Reiss probably pilfered the idea from chevss, who's been talking about it since, like August 2013.

Chevss has also been talking up the idea of using Kelvin Benjamin in the role, so I thought I'd do a physical comparison.

Kelvin BENJAMIN, WR, Florida State (PW)
- 6050/240, 34.9" arm/10.3" hand - 4.61/1.66 - 13 reps - 32.5" vert - 9'11" broad - 4.39 ss - 7.33 3-cone

Mark HARRISON
- 6027/231, 35.0" arm/9.7" hand - 4.46/1.58 - 17 reps - 38.5" vert - 10'09" broad - 4.33 ss - 6.99 3-cone

And, because numerous folks have mentioned him...

Gator HOSKINS
- 6015/253, 32.7" arm/9" hand - 4.73/1.59 - 22 reps - 36.5" vert - 9'08" broad - 4.53 ss - 7.22 3-cone
- Wingspan = 79.4"

BTW, I found Harrison's arm length/hand size on the Strongright site, which has that info for most of the Pats players (though I can't vouch for it's accuracy):

http://strongright.com/new-england-patriots-5182822-main-page-1316.php
 
I spoke to Reiss this morning; he just got back from vacation. He says the Pats are pretty high/hopeful for Williams in the move TE role although they don't expect an AHern type performance as a receiver. That makes sense when you think the Pats kept Williams on the 53 since signing him.

That makes Williams, Harrison and LaFell on the roster who could potentially perform/try out in the move TE role. Harrison is by far the fastest, the most physical and most athletic. In fact, Harrison's combine times compare very well with Calvin Johnson's. Not saying...just saying.
 
I don't see them screwing with Lafell. put him on the outside and let him do his thing.
Harrison, now that's intriguing. 230 is a decent size. get him on a weight plan to put on 5-10 more lbs and he could use that size. I like the idea.

Also BB was at FSU's pro day looking at Kelvin Benjamin. he can certainly fall in our range and also is 6'5 235 which would be a beauty AHern replacement imo. but do we wanna use a 1st on a WR? for him I may
 
joepatsfan1 said:
I don't see them screwing with Lafell. put him on the outside and let him do his thing.
Harrison, now that's intriguing. 230 is a decent size. get him on a weight plan to put on 5-10 more lbs and he could use that size. I like the idea.

Also BB was at FSU's pro day looking at Kelvin Benjamin. he can certainly fall in our range and also is 6'5 235 which would be a beauty AHern replacement imo. but do we wanna use a 1st on a WR? for him I may
Click to expand...

LaFell caught close to 45 balls from the TE position for Car iirc.
 
UberDoober said:
One of the themes that came up consistently in an offseason study exploring other NFL teams was the idea of searching in-house for every possible answer before signing an external free-agent. One example that stood out was in Jacksonville last season, where the Jaguars were looking for a mismatch-type running back who could catch passes out of the backfield and ultimately tailored a role for undersized rookie receiver Ace Sanders along those lines.

This thought came to mind today after sharing an opinion on the Patriots' needs, and listing tight end in the No. 3 spot.

The Patriots currently have three tight ends on the roster -- Rob Gronkowski, Michael Hoomanawanui and D.J. Williams -- but after further inspection, it's possible they have a fourth; he's just listed as a wide receiver.

It's Mark Harrison.

The former Rutgers Scarlet Knight is 6-foot-3 and 231 pounds, which is about as big as it gets for a receiver and almost puts him into a "move tight end" classification. Harrison had some things going for him coming out of Rutgers but went undrafted and then didn't pass a physical with the Bears (foot injury). The Patriots signed him on May 20 and he ended up spending last year on season-ending injured reserve.

The expectation is that he'll be a full participant in the team's offseason program which starts April 21, and three things stood out when looking into Harrison as a possible fit into the Patriots' tight end discussion:

1. At least one other NFL team, in the pre-draft process last year, viewed Harrison as more of a "move" tight end than a receiver.

2. Harrison's former Rutgers teammate, receiver Tim Wright, made the same transition to tight end with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last season and totaled 54 catches under coach Greg Schiano. Harrison is actually bigger than Wright (6-4, 220).

3. The Patriots are fairly well stocked at receiver, and with a lighter tight end depth chart combined with a draft class that is sparking some questions, Harrison might have the best chance to emerge as a tight end.

Some football food for thought as we consider areas of the Patriots' roster and the team's level of need.

http://espn.go.com/blog/boston/new-..._/id/4760948/mark-harrison-as-possible-te-fit
Click to expand...

Holy crap! This is exactly what we discussed this am. Maybe I should be a writer...I know I'd be better at it than Volin. :coffee:
 
AS long as he can block & catch the ball over the middle. I'm all for it. The TE were a huge Non factor last year. When gronk was not in the game.
 
MaineMan said:
Reiss probably pilfered the idea from chevss, who's been talking about it since, like August 2013.

Chevss has also been talking up the idea of using Kelvin Benjamin in the role, so I thought I'd do a physical comparison.

Kelvin BENJAMIN, WR, Florida State (PW)
- 6050/240, 34.9" arm/10.3" hand - 4.61/1.66 - 13 reps - 32.5" vert - 9'11" broad - 4.39 ss - 7.33 3-cone

Mark HARRISON
- 6027/231, 35.0" arm/9.7" hand - 4.46/1.58 - 17 reps - 38.5" vert - 10'09" broad - 4.33 ss - 6.99 3-cone

And, because numerous folks have mentioned him...

Gator HOSKINS
- 6015/253, 32.7" arm/9" hand - 4.73/1.59 - 22 reps - 36.5" vert - 9'08" broad - 4.53 ss - 7.22 3-cone
- Wingspan = 79.4"

BTW, I found Harrison's arm length/hand size on the Strongright site, which has that info for most of the Pats players (though I can't vouch for it's accuracy):

http://strongright.com/new-england-patriots-5182822-main-page-1316.php
Click to expand...

oops sorry MaineMan totally missed the KB mentioning here.
 
chevss454 said:
Holy crap! This is exactly what we discussed this am. Maybe I should be a writer...I know I'd be better at it than Volin. :coffee:
Click to expand...

Becoming a writer equals an automatic pay cut from pretty much whatever one's employment may be at the moment.
 
If he can get out of his breaks fast & catch the ball over the middle. He already be a major upgrade over Hooman , mulligan & Williams.
 
MaineMan said:
Becoming a writer equals an automatic pay cut from pretty much whatever one's employment may be at the moment.
Click to expand...
Yeah, I was just playing but damn Mike has a great life.

We also spoke about draft needs this am. The discussion was this almost word for word. Only he disagreed w/ my contention that Harrison could be the answer at move TE. Then, in a 2nd article later, he agreed w/ me. So much fun talking to him.

http://espn.go.com/blog/boston/new-...-look-at-patriots-needs?ex_cid=espnapi_public
 
Look, I love Chevs and what he brings to the table, but I really do believe that Harrison has a long way to go to make the roster as a WR, nevermind as a move TE.

When I see him I see something substantially different than Chevs does-- I see a guy that doesn't look like the kind of guy the numbers suggest he might be and a guy that didn't seem to relish contact much at the college level.

He would have to be transformed for me to buy him playing a role where he is blocking NFL players. I give him a better shot to stick at WR and I consider that a bit of a long shot. It's been a while since he played in a meaningful game and he had a long way to go.

On another note, this is around when we're going to see a bunch of guys rise into the 1st round discussion and, conversely, some guys will be dropping. I see Kelvin Benjamin as one of those droppers. His resume features two mediocre years in the SEC with two big games leading up to the bowl game where he caught the winning TD with seconds left after spending the night invisible. He basically hasn't done shit.

There are too many other WRs this year who have shown way more than he has and I just don't see anybody risking a first rounder on him and leaving, say, Marquise Lee or Beckham on the board.

I'm not saying he couldn't be good, I'm saying he is almost pure speculation.
 
Hawg73 said:
Look, I love Chevs and what he brings to the table, but I really do believe that Harrison has a long way to go to make the roster as a WR, nevermind as a move TE.

When I see him I see something substantially different than Chevs does-- I see a guy that doesn't look like the kind of guy the numbers suggest he might be and a guy that didn't seem to relish contact much at the college level.

He would have to be transformed for me to buy him playing a role where he is blocking NFL players. I give him a better shot to stick at WR and I consider that a bit of a long shot. It's been a while since he played in a meaningful game and he had a long way to go.

On another note, this is around when we're going to see a bunch of guys rise into the 1st round discussion and, conversely, some guys will be dropping. I see Kelvin Benjamin as one of those droppers. His resume features two mediocre years in the SEC with two big games leading up to the bowl game where he caught the winning TD with seconds left after spending the night invisible. He basically hasn't done shit.

There are too many other WRs this year who have shown way more than he has and I just don't see anybody risking a first rounder on him and leaving, say, Marquise Lee or Beckham on the board.

I'm not saying he couldn't be good, I'm saying he is almost pure speculation.
Click to expand...

You could be right depending on what's going on in his head. :shrug: To be fair, I don't see him as blocking TE but AHern wasn't either. One thing Harrison is not is finesse. I've seen plenty of tape where Harrison plows right through DBs.

Agree on Benjamin, btw. Marqise Lee is another who is over rated. Cooks is dropping, too.

Beckham, if anything, is under rated. Cody Latimer is rising. But I'm not ready to rank my guys...almost.
 
We need a TE a lot more then WR. We have talent at WR. Who do we have behind Injury prone Gronk. Hooman & Mulligan huge non factors in the passing game last year .
 
chevss454 said:
You could be right depending on what's going on in his head. :shrug: To be fair, I don't see him as blocking TE but AHern wasn't either. One thing Harrison is not is finesse. I've seen plenty of tape where Harrison plows right through DBs.

Agree on Benjamin, btw. Marqise Lee is another who is over rated. Cooks is dropping, too.

Beckham, if anything, is under rated. Cody Latimer is rising. But I'm not ready to rank my guys...almost.
Click to expand...

I dunno about that. I like to think of myself as being able to be objective about the guys out of my own school, rather than being a homer, and I think Lee is flying under the radar. He suffered from a double whammy this year of being injured almost the whole year, and having absolutely piss poor QB play. Oh, and he had 3 different head coaches throughout the year (one of whom was named Lane "bubble screen" Kiffin).

One might say that his Sophomore year was so good because he had the privilege of playing opposite Woods, but one would be forgetting that Woods was injured for much of that year, and Lee had an incredible year catching passes from Barkley.

Now, I wouldn't suggest anything as extreme as putting him in at TE, but I do think Lee is flying a bit under the radar right now, and someone who picks him up late 1st/early 2nd will get a good return on their investment.
 
Is Ballard a FA again or did he sign for more than 1 year? I'd like to bring him in for another look now that he is fully recovered from his injury if he is available. He's proven that he can play TE pretty well when healthy.
 
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