The Houston Texans really wanted Christian Harris.
The trade-up to leapfrog the Baltimore Ravens and ultimately secure the Alabama linebacker at 75th overall in Round 3 was widely celebrated. Infamously, the team’s social media caught general manager Nick Caserio and head coach Lovie Smith celebrating the pick.
How could the team not be excited? A linebacker that was projected as high as the late first round had suddenly fallen into Houston’s laps in the middle of the third. In a Smith defense that requires hyper athletic linebackers to plug in behind the defensive front four, Harris fits perfectly.
With the excitement of the selection finally settling down almost a month after the draft, it’s time to get down to business for Houston’s new head coach and his newest prized linebacker. The 6-1, 232-pound Alabama star may have had an excellent career with the Crimson Tide and an even better NFL Combine with a 4.44 40-yard dash. However, that’s no longer how Harris will be judged.
It comes down to what will happen on the football field. Amongst the immense glee at the selection and with Smith’s defensive background as a head coach, it begs a certain question: What is Harris’ future with Houston? Certainly, the defensive guru has a plan for a linebacker the team was willing to trade up for in order to secure his services.
On May 13 during rookie minicamp at Houston Methodist Training Center, Smith commented on the excitement that went into that moment and the caliber of talent that Harris represents for his defense
“We like Christian a lot. We had him ranked high on our board. When you don’t take a player, we thought he would go a little earlier. To have an opportunity to get him in that round when we did, it’s excitement. The cameras just didn’t catch Nick and I (as we) were high-fiving on most of our picks that we had throughout. We like this draft class.”
On the flip side, when Harris was asked about playing in a Smith defense, he finds a…
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