2021 NFL Mock Draft: Washington Football Team goes offense in Round 1
. Running Back. New York Jets. Najee Harris. 23. player. 30
The Le’Veon Bell experiment didn’t exactly work out for the Jets, so now they need a new running back. They could opt to give La’Mical Perine a chance to prove himself as a lead back, but it seems more likely that the team will give their starting quarterback a true workhorse to play with.
Najee Harris would certainly qualify. Harris is the latest in a long line of great Alabama backs and he really put everything together during these past two seasons.
During Alabama’s run to a National Championship last year, Harris was an unstoppable force. In 13 games, he ran for 1,466 yards while averaging 5.8 yards per carry. He also was solid as a receiver and posted a career-high 43 catches for 425 yards.
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The most impressive part? Harris was able to total a whopping 30 touchdowns on the season (26 rushing, four receiving) and keyed Alabama’s offense to victory on numerous occasions.
Harris runs with a physical, bruising style and should hold up well at the NFL level thanks to his 6-foot-2, 230-pound frame. He will be able to handle 20-25 touches per game and should surely do more with them than Frank Gore and Co. were able to last year for the Jets.
Harris would also take pressure off New York’s quarterback (Fields in this mock, but it could be any number of players) and the team could use the ground-dominant approach many expected them to use this year. There’s no better option here than Harris for the Jets, so they shouldn’t waste much time heading to the podium if he’s still on the board here.