The San Francisco 49ers selected Virginia cornerback Tim Harris with the pick (No. 198 overall) in the sixth round of the 2019 NFL Draft. The 49ers were in attendance to watch Harris at Virginia's pro day in March. The team also hosted him on a pre-draft visit.
"Cornerback Tim Harris, who performed well during Shrine Game practices, put up some incredible testing marks (at his pro day)," wrote Tony Pauline of Draft Analyst. "Harris measured 6016 and 197 pounds and hit 39 inches in the vertical and 11-foot-7 in the broad. His times in the 40 ranged from the high 4.3s to the low 4.4s."
Harris, who was a four-star recruit out of high school, registered 109 tackles, four interceptions, 17 passes defensed, and one fumble recovery in six seasons at Virginia.
Yes, six seasons.
Harris was injured just two games into his senior year and missed the remainder of the 2016 season. He suffered a wrist injury during the opener of his redshirt senior season in 2017. Harris was granted a sixth year of eligibility and recorded 36 combined tackles, two interceptions, and four passes defensed through 11 games in his final season with the Cavaliers.
"So in 2016, I tore my labrum in my shoulder during fall camp," Harris recently told Andrew DiCecco of Eagles Wire. "I tried to play through it, but it just didn't work out — it kept popping out of place. My coach thought it was a good idea for me to get surgery. The next year, I came back healthy and strong, and I get into the first game of the season (2017) — and I break my wrist pretty bad. That was a huge setback for me, and made me wonder where did I want to go with this whole football thing.
"I got a chance to come back for a sixth year, which was something I really wanted to do, because there was still a lot of things I wanted to accomplish at the University of Virginia. The time I had off really made me cherish how much I love football and how much I wanted to get back on the field."
NFL.com projected Harris to be a priority free agent.
Lance Zierlein of NFL.com wrote the following about Harris within his scouting report:
"Harris has rare size, speed and explosiveness traits that could make him a coveted priority free agent, but his injury history, modest ball production and inability to match play to the traits are likely to leave him undrafted. There are physical check marks in his favor, but he will need to play a much more instinctive brand of football to cover NFL receivers."
Dane Brugler of The Athletic wrote the following about Harris within his scouting report:
"A three-star recruit out of high school, Timothy 'Tim' Harris played safety, cornerback and receiver at Varina and was considered a top-10 recruit in the state. He bypassed offers from Michigan and others to stay home at Virginia. Harris saw his playing time increase over his first three seasons before season-ending injuries in both 2016 (torn labrum) and 2017 (wrist). He returned for a sixth-year of eligibility in 2018 and had a career-best 36 tackles and two interceptions. Harris played predominantly off-coverage in college, using his springy, yet controlled lower body to stay on top of routes. However, he was often impatient with his footwork, getting his lower body tied up. While inconsistent turning to find the football, he has the length and leaping skills to make plays on the ball if in position. Overall, Harris has a concerning injury past with questionable instincts, but his length and explosive traits are intriguing, projecting best in a press-man scheme."
Tony Pauline of Draft Analyst wrote the following about Harris within his scouting report:
"Harris possesses next-level size and ball skills and the ability to be used in a variety of schemes. I had him highly rated after his sophomore season of 2014, but injuries took their toll and he may be a medical red flag. If Harris passes medicals, he should get late-round consideration and can be used in bump-and-run coverage or in a zone system and may even get consideration inside at safety."
Kyle Crabbs of The Draft Network wrote the following about Harris within his scouting report:
"Tim Harris has all of the tools needed to potentially develop into a starting outside cornerback in the pros. The problem? Harris has had severe bouts with health and his long term availability is in something of a question as a result. Harris has attractive traits and it's easy to love hit ball skills, physicality and anticipation. But can he stay healthy? This is a high ceiling, low floor type player when considering durability. Worth the risk in the late rounds, though. "
Measurables
Height: 6-2
Weight: 197 lbs.
Arm length: 31 7/8 inches
Hand length: 9 5/8 inches
| College Statistics | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | School | Class | G | Solo | Ast | Tot | Loss | Sk | Int | ||||||||
| 2013 | Virginia | FR | 6 | 11 | 5 | 16 | 1.0 | 0.0 | -- | ||||||||
| 2014 | Virginia | SO | 6 | 17 | 2 | 19 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 1 | ||||||||
| 2015 | Virginia | JR | 10 | 26 | 8 | 34 | 3.0 | 0.0 | 1 | ||||||||
| 2016 | Virginia | SR | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | ||||||||
| 2017 | Virginia | SR | 1 | 1 | -- | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | ||||||||
| 2018 | Virginia | SR | 11 | 20 | 16 | 36 | 1.5 | 0.0 | 2 | ||||||||
| Total | Virginia | 77 | 32 | 109 | 6.5 | 0.0 | 4 | ||||||||||