Draft ’07 Update: Ryan Harris

Hump Day is here, folks! And hopefully Kyle is doing well on those finals!

Today we take a look back at our 3rd round pick from last year, OT Ryan Harris. The pick of Harris was rather special, not because it is a marquee position, but because all the other picks that year were D-linemen. Not only that, but he was the first OT taken in the first day of the draft since the George Foster debacle. He would certainly have to face critical review by the media and fans alike as Foster had left a very bad taste in everyone’s mouth.

Like before I’ll give you a nice sampling of what Kyle and I wrote last spring right after the draft of 2007…

KYLE 2007: I feel like I’m getting mixed reviews on our third round pick out of Notre Dame. On the one hand, his athleticism on the field is top notch. His measurables, on the other hand, leave something to be desired.

The measurables Kyle talked about included his not-so-impressive combine numbers. At nearly 300 lbs, Harris wasn’t expected to post a 4.3 40-yard dash, but his 5.11 was only moderately good – not great. With speed a high priority along the Denver O-line there were some questions about how Harris would stack up.

Despite these issues, both Kyle and I found things we really liked about the man who was in training (at the time) to replace Lepsis.

KYLE 2007: First off, above all other teams (even New England), the Broncos value intelligence on the offensive line. Our blocking system is unique and difficult to understand, and Harris is noted for his intellect. While the rule of thumb for Broncos linemen has been to sit the bench for most of the first year, it wouldn’t surprise me to see Harris pick up our system and begin playing at Right Tackle if he wins the spot in training camp.

JON 2007: Two words: Charlie. Weis.

Before Charlie Weis took the head coaching job at his alma mater of Notre Dame, he ran New England’s Offense under Belichick. That offense won three Super Bowls. And Weis says that Ryan Harris has what it takes to play left tackle in the NFL — enough said.

“Left tackles are the guys that need the athleticism to handle an edge rusher by themselves, which is normally the blind side of a right-handed quarterback. Ryan Harris has the athleticism to play left tackle.” – Charlie Weiss 2007

Harris is another player with extensive experience, having started the last 32 games for the Fighting Irish (and logged 937 minutes of total playing time). He should add needed depth to our O-line.

KYLE 2007: I’ve heard a lot of skepticism of this pick among Broncos fans online. Many question his motor and his determination, but Ryan Harris has been a career starter at one of the nation’s premiere programs at Notre Dame. I would invite such skeptics to remember the old adage “Give me a Pro Bowl Quarterback, I’ll show you a Pro Bowl Lineman”… And Brady Quinn was the #1 QB on my board, and everyone’s board until he played against JaMarcus Russell in the Sugar Bowl. He wouldn’t have been nearly as effective without a quality OL watching his back, and Harris anchored the left side, the most vital part of that line.

I think both of us expected Shanahan to developed Harris into his new Matt Lepsis. We mention Lepsis and LT several times in our posts…

KYLE 2007: Harris is excellent in pass protection, but his quickness and athleticism on the field allow him to make blocks on the second level, a key to the Denver running game. If he is able to quickly soak up the zone blocking scheme, I could easily see him starting on the right side. Eventually he could become our all-important Left Tackle (currently being held down by the underrated Matt Lepsis, as we all know).

JON 2007: The rookie from Notre Dame will be learning the ropes from returning starter Matt Lepsis this year and will likely not see any gameday action until the following year. However, with Lepsis being 33 years old now and coming off a ACL injury, it’s good that we have a young project like Harris on board.

Well, we were correct on the point of Harris watching and learning in 2007. After being declared inactive for the first 5 games, he made his NFL debut on SNF against the Steelers. He remained on the active roster for the rest of the season with most of his action coming on special teams. He did make a brief appearance on the O-line spelling Pears and Lepsis in the last couple of games.

While this may have seemed like Kyle and I had things figured out pretty well, neither of us knew Lepsis was going to retire at the end of the season. And that started a series of events that ended with Ryan Clady being drafted this April. So much for being the heir apparent for Lepsis.

In my opinion, this points to Shanahan’s desire to upgrade LT beyond what he felt Harris could provide. And that might be hard for Harris to take – I know it would irk me. So, I think this year will be as important for Harris any any of our ’07 draftees. In Ryan’s case, I think it will be a question of how he handles Clady coming in as the proclaimed starter in front of him. If he can embrace this as a challenge and find a way to use this to make himself even better, he might end up scoring a RT or Guard starting spot this year. If he becomes disheartened by the moves this off-season, I can’t imagine him staying long in Denver.

I personally hope he plays his heart out this year and shows the coaches all that he was drafted for. I don’t think he can beat out Clady, but I would LOVE to have them as #1 & #2 on the depth chart this year at LT. I would truly sigh in relief at our depth at that position finally!

And now, for our meaningless 2007 rookie draftee comparison for today. For offensive tackles stats are kind of hard to use for comparisons, but it might be interesting to continue to watch Iowa OT Marshal Yanda who went to the Ravens just 16 picks after Harris left the board. In their rookie years, Ryan played in 11 games, but Yanda actually started 12 games (playing in 16 total games). While this is completely useless information, I started doing these on Monday so I figured I had to find something to compare – it’s tradition! :)

Now, again it’s time to chime in.

What did you think of our 3rd round pick last year? What did you expect Harris to do last year? Were you impressed, underwhelmed, uninterested? What do you think Harris’ roll will be now that we have drafted Clady? Let us know what you think!

NEXT UP: Last, but not least, Marcus Thomas.