Ronnie Harrison, Alabama: 2018 NFL Draft Scouting Report
By Jon Dove
Alabama’s Ronnie Harrison is a rising safety prospect who has put himself on the 2018 NFL Draft radar.
Ronnie Harrison is a long and well built safety prospect. He has plenty of experience going against high-level competition and playing in pressure situations. Harrison’s raw talent has helped him crack Alabama’s starting lineup which is filled with future NFL stars.
Alabama mainly asks Harrison to lineup in the deep middle where he’s expected to cover a specific half of the field. At times, he does move close to the line of scrimmage where he will matchup with the opponent’s bigger target.
There are plenty of situations where Harrison is matched up one on one with the opponent’s top receiving tight end. In these scenarios, Harrison shows the athleticism needed to keep in-phase and make a play on the ball.
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He flashes the ability to read the quarterback and take proper angles to the football. This makes him a threat to grab an interception or at the very least generate a pass breakup. His overall quickness and short-area burst also help in this area.
Harrison flashes big-hitting ability in the run game, but is very inconsistent with his approach. There are too many times where he doesn’t finish the play. He can often be found around the football but not actually delivering a hit or making a tackle.
There’s some sloppiness to his approach which includes a high pad level. This results in some missed tackles. Harrison needs to attack the ball carrier with more tenacity while remaining balanced. The biggest thing is that he needs to show more consistency and finish plays.
Harrison brings some added value based on the fact he is a willing special teams performer. He does a solid job contributing on kick coverage.
Overall, this is a high-end athlete who flashes the potential to be an impact player. The problem is that he hasn’t produce enough to warrant that type of hype. Harrison needs to be seen as an unfinished product with upside.