Patriots New Wide Receiver Profile, Chris Harper
 Chris Harper is a dark horse candidate to make the Patriots, but has plenty of upside. (USA TODAY Images) |
Cal’s “X” WR May Move Inside For the Patriots
The Patriots signed UDFA and former Cal WR Chris Harper to a contract on Friday. Terms were not yet available and Harper will take part in the Patriots Rookie mini-camp which runs from Friday – Sunday.
Harper entered the draft early forgoing his senior season citing family reasons and finished up his career at Cal with the seventh most receptions in school history. He caught a total of 163 passes for 2030 yards and 13 touchdowns in 35 games with 23 starts for the Golden Bears.
In 2013 he posted his best season with 70 receptions for 852 yards and five touchdowns. In his junior and final season at Cal, Harper caught 52 passes for 634 yards and six touchdowns.
Pros and Cons: Although lacking ideal length and wiry at 5’11, 182, Harper is a quick twitch athlete who can be dangerous when he gets the football in space. He was the “X” wide receiver at Cal, but here in New England, he may be looking at moving inside to the slot.
He’s quicker than fast and has a nice burst at the line of scrimmage. Harper shows good balance and body control with excellent agility to make sharp cuts. He runs very good routes and create separation from defensive backs. Harper has good quick hands and snags the ball away from his body. He has some special teams value as well, averaging 6.4 yards per return as a punt returner.
His less than ideal frame leaves him vulnerable to jamming by more physical cornerbacks. And although a willing blocker, he doesn’t have the strength to always be an effective one. Some scouts questioned whether he can hold up to the rigors of the NFL with his slight build but only missed one game due to injury.
Harper wasn’t invited to the Combine but at Cal’s Pro Day ran a 4.52 in the 40 as well as posting 35 inches in the vertical jump, a 10 foot Broad Jump and a 7.03 time in the Three-Cone Drill.
Where Does He Fit for the Patriots: Used primarily as an “X” receiver at Cal, Harper would be best utilized moving to the slot in New England. Watching his tape, he shows a nice ability to make defenders miss with his lateral agility.
Like Danny Amendola and Julian Edelman, he can catch a short bubble screen and turn it into a long gain by using some shifty moves and making some nice yards after the catch. While not a speed burner per se, he does show the ability to get behind defenders and occasionally break the long pass play. Harper shows good field awareness and can find the soft spots in coverage. His route running is very good and he should pick up the intricacies of the Patriots offense pretty quickly.
But with a logjam of wide receivers ahead of him on the depth chart, it isn’t going to be easy for Harper to make the roster. One area that could help him is special teams, more specifically in the punt return game.
He’ll probably get some good looks at the punt return game as the Pats will try to limit those for Edelman and Amendola during the pre-season. If he makes a splash there, his stock could rise pretty quickly.
There is always a player or two who comes in undrafted and plays well and makes the team out of training camp. Last season Malcolm Butler was given little chance to make the team with the logjam at cornerback….and we all remember how that turned out on February 1st.
Here is a really nice highlight film of Harper in 2013 against WSU:
This GIF shows a crazy, highlight touchdown catch, something Harper is capable of from Yahoo Sports:
Follow me on Twitter @SteveB7SFG or email me at [email protected]
Listen to our Patriots 4th and 2 podcast on blog talk radio as the writers Russ Goldman, Derek Havens and I from PatsFans.com discuss the latest Patriots news Wednesdays at 12 noon.
