By Zach Cavanagh
JSerra alumnus and University of Washington offensive lineman Nick Harris was selected by the Cleveland Browns at No. 160 overall in the fifth round of the NFL Draft on April 25.
Harris is the second JSerra alumnus to ever be selected in the NFL Draft, joining wide receiver Dante Pettis, who was taken by the San Francisco 49ers in 2018. Both Harris and Pettis played at Washington in college.
“We are really excited to add Nick to the team,” Browns scout Adam Al-Khayyal told clevelandbrowns.com. “There is a really interesting story with him. He is a guy who came into Washington, probably you could say under-recruited, went to one of the premier programs in the Pac-12 and really in the nation, and all he did was work his way into the starting lineup as a true freshman and then start his final three years—one at guard and two at center. He is a guy who has had a really productive career and adds some good depth to the roster and a chance to compete.”
Harris graduated from JSerra in 2016 and was First-Team, All-Trinity League in his senior season.
At Washington, Harris played in 12 games as a true freshman with four starts, including two at right guard in the Huskies’ Pac-12 Championship game victory over Colorado and against Alabama in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.
Harris started all 13 games of his sophomore season at right guard before switching to center for his junior and senior seasons. Harris was named First-Team, All-Pac-12 as a junior and senior.
According to Pro Football Focus, Harris allowed only two sacks in 837 pass-block snaps in his two seasons as a center at Washington.
“I definitely watch their film,” Harris told clevelandbrowns.com when asked about learning from veteran Browns offensive linemen Joel Bitonio and JC Tretter. “I watch tons of NFL tape. It does not matter who, it does not matter what team. I just like watching how those guys play at the next level. They are just sound players. The technique is always on point, and that is definitely something I have taken from both of those guys. And they play very well together. You need to have that continuity as an O-line. I am more than excited to learn and pick their brains, see how they go about things, not just on the field, but how they carry themselves off the field and what I can learn from that.”
Zach Cavanagh
Zach Cavanagh is the sports editor for Picket Fence Media. Zach is a California Journalism Award winner and has covered sports in Orange County since 2013. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram @ZachCav and follow our sports coverage on Twitter @SouthOCSports. Email at zcavanagh@picketfencemedia.com.
Discussion about this post