Buccaneers: Charles Harris Selected by Charley Casserly in Mock Draft
Should the Buccaneers draft Charles Harris with the 19th overall pick in the NFL draft?
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We are approximately nine weeks away from the start of the NFL draft. It’s a time for Buccaneers fans, as well as fans around the league, to think about what could come in 2017.
The work in preparation has begun. The tapes are being watched. The stats are being reviewed. Plans are being set. Who will teams be watching at the Combine in a few weeks? The courses of action that will begin to decide the fates of 32 NFL franchises are being planned as we speak.
For blogs like ours, plans of action are already in effect. What are our plans? To speculate as much as we can prior to the draft actually occurring. The mock drafts get released and we decide if we think the player selected makes sense.
Today we are looking at one from a former NFL executive. Charley Casserly spent nearly 30 years in the league in a personnel role before moving to the broadcast studio. He has been on radio and television for 16 years of his life, and he has released his first mock draft of the 2017 season.
For the Bucs, he has chosen Charles Harris, defensive end out of Missouri. Here are his thoughts on the pick:
"Tampa Bay needs a bookend to Noah Spence in order to take improving defense to next level."
Take a look at his entire mock by clicking here.
We look at the player first, and then we will see if it is the right spot for the Bucs. We start, as always, with the statistics:
Here we have a player that clearly can find the football, especially in the running game. As the numbers indicate, he posted 30.5 TFL’s (Tackles For Loss) over the last two seasons. That is a lot of time spent in the opponent’s backfield. He is no slouch in the pass rush, judging by his regular increases in his sack numbers from two to nine.
Here are some thoughts from his NFL draft profile:
"Strengths: Long legs with well defined bubble. Has loose, fluid hips. Explodes out of his stance in search of gap work vs. run game. Lateral quickness makes it a challenge to reach him or cross his face for offensive linemen. Good first step quickness. Plays with energy and keeps it cranked up until the whistle blows. Runs with high knees and athletic, long strides in the open field. Basketball standout in high school who uses nimble feet for an effective spin move. Can unleash spin counter in either direction. Plays on either side of the line and can play with a hand down or standing up. In 2015, led team in sacks, tackles for losses and hurries and was second in tackles. Uses early speed-to-power to create movement before attacking the tackle’s inside shoulder. Showed some ability to drop in space when called upon.Weaknesses: Found himself too easily engulfed by size this season. Gives ground on the edge and can be widened out of his run fit. Hands must get better at point of attack. Needs to punch and own the point. Rides on blocks rather than shucks them. Lacks desired glass-chewing mentality against the run."
As always when we do one of these, we go to the video tape:
My favorite elements of this young man’s game are speed and instincts. Did you see him fly past his opponent for his first sack? it was like the offensive tackle wasn’t even there. His ability to get off the ball quickly is unique. It’s almost as if the snap and him driving to the quarterback occur in one motion. This is one talented player.
Where Harris needs to step it up is in the pass rush. Simply put, he needs more bulk and a better array of passing moves. If he couldn’t run around somebody he had difficulty getting past them. He needs better hands to be able to shake off opposing blockers. He tries to drive them instead, where freeing himself would make him that much better.
Harris also doesn’t appear to draw attention to himself either. He wasn’t over the top celebrating his sacks, which is always a welcome sign in the NFL.
Looking at Casserly’s mock, some of the weapons on offense we would like to see selected are already gone, like Mike Williams and John Ross. Corey Davis is available, and if they want to go tight end, O.J. Howard is still on the board.
Next: Did the Bucs Blow it with Glennon?
All in all, this would not be a bad value pick at number 19. Casserly is right about the fact that an edge rusher opposite Noah Spence would be huge. Personally, I believe they still should go offense in this scenario, but if they don’t, they could do a lot worse than Charles Harris.
What do you think?