Ask Farrell: Who will be better pro, Josh Jacobs or Damien Harris?
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In November, USA Today made the argument that Alabama’s Josh Jacobs could be the first running back taken in the NFL Draft.
That means he would be taken before Iowa State’s David Montgomery, Oklahoma State’s Justice Hill, Stanford’s Bryce Love and Penn State’s Miles Sanders – not to mention Crimson Tide teammate Damien Harris.
Harris has been the featured back in Alabama’s backfield, finishing with 876 yards and nine touchdowns this season, 1,000 yards and 11 scores as a junior, and 1,037 rushing yards in his sophomore campaign. But he also has 477 carries during his time in Tuscaloosa, and that’s a heavy workload.
On the other hand, Jacobs had 120 carries this season, but only 46 two years ago and 85 in 2016. He’s still fresh and possesses a special level of explosiveness. He is also a big-time threat in the passing game, something Harris has not shown much during his time at Alabama.
In terms of a pure running back, Harris could hold the edge. In terms of an all-around threat coming out of the backfield, Jacobs could be special. As more than one draft observer has written, he could be the next version of Alvin Kamara in this draft.
We ask Rivals.com National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell if he was making the pick, would he select Harris or Jacobs first?
FARRELL'S TAKE
“I’d take Harris over Jacobs, even though he has more mileage on him, because I think Harris is more effective between the tackles, is underrated as a receiver and has the build of an every-down back at the NFL level. Jacobs and Harris are very similar in size, but Harris is stronger, especially in his lower body, and can break tackles a bit better at the next level. Jacobs is an excellent back, and he’ll be a very good pro, but I think Harris is the safer and more reliable pick.”
