NFL draft Q & A: Meet Miami CB Brandon Harris

BIRDLAND –  The Falcons’ scouting and coaching entourage traveled to Miami last Wednesday to check out a few of the Hurricanes.
They put cornerback Brandon Harris, defensive end Allen Bailey and cornerback DeMarcus Van Dyke through individual workouts and then broke off into lengthy interview sessions.

Harris called The Atlanta Journal-Constitution from his limo while on the way to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) Tuesday evening to give us an update.

Harris, a native of Miami, was highly impressed the Falcons.   Coming out of Miami’s Booker T. Washington High, he was selected to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Super Southern 100 team and was rated as the third best corner in the nation by ESPN. Check out his bio.

Here’s a Q & A with the cornerback, who could be the team’s selection in the first round of the NFL draft, which will be held April 28-30.

Q: How is the draft process going for you?
A: The process is going great. I just had a team visit with San Diego. I went to San Diego on Monday. I stayed in San Diego for two days to meet the coaches and the rest of the staff.

Q: What are you doing out in L.A.?
A: I flew up to L.A. so I could go by the NFL Network and meet the guys. I did a couple of interviews.

Q: Have you talked to the Falcons yet?
A: Yeah, they came down for my Pro Day and they also came down last week to do an individual workout for me and for a couple of players on my defense. They brought down the entire staff. It was a good experience.

It shows that they are very interested based on the number of people that they brought down. That was good. We put on a great workout and they seemed to enjoy it.

I spent 45 minutes to an hour afterwards just talking to them about me and they wanted to let me know about the things they are looking for in their players. I pretty much spent the whole day with them on March 30th.

Q: How do you feel about some folks projecting you to go in the first round now?
A:  I feel strongly about it. I’m definitely worthy of a first round pick.  I’m just an all-around complete package. I’m not just a football player. I’m somebody who is going to bring a lot to the team off the field as well.

I keep hearing that a lot of coaches are looking at more and more tape. I’m hoping that they see that I can get the job done. It’s just a tribute to my hard work and dedication to the game that they’ve got me moving up the charts. That’s just more motivation for me to go out there and keep working.

Q: What led to your decision to come out after your junior year?
A: I looked at my school work to see where I was academically and how close I was to graduation. I’m only a semester away from graduating.
My mom pointed out that the degree is important. She saw that I was so close and said it was okay to come out.
I promised that I’d come back to graduate. It’s been a life long dream to play in the National Football League.

Q: So you had to promise your Mom that you’d get your degree?
A:  Yes, I had to sign a contract with my mother. I actually have to come back and get it within a year after my rookie season. I only have a couple of classes. I will go back and finish.

Q: What’s your major?
A: I’m a Business major.

Q: What do you think you can add to a pro team?
A: I bring a lot of knowledge about the game. At Miami, I played corner and nickel back. Not a lot of guys can do both.

I also played some safety. I’m going to try to do whatever the team needs. I figure if they are drafting me, they are drafting three guys because I can play multiple positions.

Q: Are the Falcons evaluating you as a safety or corner?
A: They are looking at me as a corner. They told me some positive things.  They were very supportive.

Q: Who was your favorite team growing up?
A: I was one of those people who changed teams a lot. I never had a steady team.
–D. Orlando Ledbetter, The Atlanta Falcons beat blog



(blogs.ajc.com)