Could Harris help reinforce the Giants’ offense?
The New York Giants opted to partake in the excellent 2024 wide receiver class, and got themselves one with the potential to be great in Malik Nabers. However, they might find themselves wanting to add another receiver as they continue to build their roster.
Ole Miss receiver Tre Harris could appeal to the Giants for a few reasons. There is mounting interest in Jaxson Dart as a potential option for the Giants at quarterback. And if that public interest is mirrored in the Giants facilities, the team might be well-served to add Harris as a familiar face to help accelerate Dart’s development.
Potential quarterback connection aside, Harris adds an element of size that the Giants don’t have elsewhere in their receiving corps. He was also remarkably productive and led Ole Miss in receiving yards and was second in touchdowns despite missing multiple games to injury in 2024.
Let’s see why Harris has a chance to really raise his draft stock as the process gets under way.
Prospect: Tre Harris (9)
Games Watched: vs. LSU (2023), vs. Texas A&M (2023), vs. South Carolina (2024), vs. LSU (2024)
Red Flags: Ankle/Groin (2024)
Measurables
Height: 6-foot-3 (estimated)
Weight: 205 pounds (estimated)
Strengths
Best traits:
- Length
- Route running
- Body control
- Ball skills
- Blocking
- Competitive toughness
Harris is a tall, long, experienced, and productive receiving prospect.
Harris has great length for the wide receiver position at 6-foot-3 and apparently long arms to fit his frame. He’s a good athlete for the position as well, with a good initial burst, solid change of direction abilities, and long strides that eat up yardage in the open field.
Ole Miss used Harris in a variety ways in their offense. He was primarily an outside receiver, but was also moved into the slot on occasion and appeared comfortable there. He was also frequently used as a downfield blocker on wide receiver screens and comported himself well. Harris has fantastic competitive toughness and a selfless mentality, quickly transitioning from receiver to blocker as soon as his teammate has the ball in his hands.
Harris is an experienced, detailed, and savvy route runner who understands how to use his entire route as a weapon. He has a diverse package of releases, allowing him to get into his routes efficiently while also keeping opposing defenders off balance. He also understands how to vary his route tempo as well as use head and shoulder fakes to disrupt corners’ timing.
Finally, Harris shows impressive ball skills at all areas of the field. He’s quick to locate and track the ball in the air and makes good adjustments to shield the ball from the defender. He also has great body control to contort and extend to maximize his catch radius and pluck the ball out of the air.
Weaknesses
Worst traits:
- Agility
- Catch consistency
- Play strength
Athletically, Harris is best described as “good but not great”. He’s able to eat up yardage in the open field, but can be run down from behind. He has good short-area quickness, but his height limits his agility and that can impact his route running. He’s long, but he doesn’t have a particularly thick build, so he can’t be classified as a “big” receiver. That, in turn, limits his play strength and ability to physically match up against big, physical defenders.
And considering that he’ll be 23 on draft day, it’s fair to wonder if adding muscle to his frame to improve his play strength will impact the other areas of his game.
Harris has excellent body control and flashes some truly impressive ball skills, however he can also be prone to concentration drops. Harris is the type of receiver who can makes phenomenal diving one-handed catches in traffic, but also fail to haul in relatively routine catches.
Teams will want to do their due diligence on the ankle and groin injuries that limited Harris just eight starts in 2024.
Game Tape
(Harris is Ole Miss WR No. 9)
Projection
Harris projects as a starting wide receiver with scheme diversity at the NFL level. He should be able to find a role in any passing offense, though his exact role could depend on the situation into which he’s drafted.
Harris has the size and route running ability to produce as an X or Flanker. He’s enough of a big play threat to appeal to a vertical offense, while also being a good option as a possession receiver. His competitive toughness and length could make him useful as a “big slot” as well, and he should definitely appeal to teams that run a high rate of screens.
Does he fit the Giants?
Yes
Final Word: A good value on Day 2