The San Francisco 49ers opened up the practice window for rookie safety Marcell Harris on October 17 after placing him on injured reserve on September 3. The team needed to activate him by November 7 to make him eligible to play this season and will do so on Thursday, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.
The #49ers are activating S Marcell Harris (hamstring) off Injured Reserve, I'm told. The rookie sixth rounder should play today vs. the #Raiders.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) November 1, 2018
The 49ers will be without two safeties on Thursday night against the Oakland Raiders. Jaquiski Tartt (shoulder) and Antone Exum (concussion) were officially ruled out on Wednesday. They are already without safety Adrian Colbert, who was placed on injured reserve on October 22 due to a high-ankle sprain.
The 49ers made Harris a sixth-round draft pick out of Florida in April. He did not play during his senior year due to an Achilles injury, which he suffered in 2017. While Harris was medically cleared just a few weeks before this year's Combine, he only took part in the bench press in Indianapolis.
Harris had a slow start with Florida as he recovered from a knee injury suffered in high school. He had a break-out season for the Gators as a junior in 2016 when he registered 73 combined tackles, four for a loss, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, a sack, and scored a touchdown on defense.
Having not played since that 2016 season, Harris expressed his eagerness to get back on the football field after the 49ers selected him.
"I've been studying film with some great coaches," he told reporters on his post-selection conference call in April. "You know, from being out, you've got to still work your mind. Working my mind, I became more a coach and just a student of the game. So, that's how I kept on with the game. But, once I step on this field, man, it's going to be electric."