Jermari Harris, Iowa: 2025 NFL Draft Profile & Scouting Report
Harris was a three-star recruit from Montini Catholic High School in Lombard, Ill. in the class of 2019
Iowa cornerback Jermari Harris overcame a lot of challenges to earn an impressive grade in the 2025 NFL Draft. He’s my second-highest-graded Hawkeye defender in the class, only trailing Sebastian Castro. Harris projects as a fourth round selection who might slide because of his medical history.
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Jermari Harris, CB Iowa: 2025 NFL Draft Profile
Classification: Sixth-year outside cornerback from Chicago, Ill.
Background: Harris was a three-star recruit from Montini Catholic High School in Lombard, Ill. in the class of 2019. He was the No. 1,596 recruit according to 247Sports and No. 1,530 for On3.com. Harris was an unranked two-star recruit for Rivals and an unranked three-star recruit for ESPN with a 73 grade out of 100. He totaled 72 tackles, eight interceptions, and five passes defensed as a senior on his way to earning Second Team All-State, First Team All-Area, and First Team All-Conference honors. Harris also lettered in track and was on the varsity basketball team that won a state title during his sophomore year. He was born on Aug. 9, 2000.
Injuries & Off-Field: Suspended for 2022 season opener for operating while intoxicated (OWI) charge, did not see action in 2022 due to an ankle injury, suspended two games in 2023 as part of a gambling investigation, missed 2024 spring practice with surgery, opted out of the remainder of 2024 season after UCLA game
Awards: Iowa 2023 Comeback Player of the Year Award
Pros: Special teams experience on the kick coverage, punt return, and field goal block units, rarely penalized, arm length should check box, some sudden and twitchy footwork, quick and smooth feet, patient footwork to mirror releases, sharp cuts to stick with receiver releases, one-armed stab in press, good acceleration to carry receivers vertically out of press, nice acceleration and recovery burst, easy mover in half-turn, excellent outside leverage to bracket inside go routes, good awareness and transitions to accept routes crossing into his deep zone, hides in zone and jumps routes, good anticipation of routes, quick click and close on short to intermediate routes, crowds pass catchers on short routes to choke throwing lanes, ball production, makes plays on the ball around intended targets without fouling, high points the ball well, nice range at the catch point, limits YAC with quick tackles, willing to come downhill and make a stop
Cons: Age, extensive injury history, speed is good but not elite, bites on some route fakes and tempo changes, can drive receivers toward the sideline more often, some poor decelerations out of his half-turn on comebacks, consistent separation allowed on intermediate comebacks, gets turned around and occasionally loses his man, sometimes loses the receiver because of eyes on the quarterback, poor tackler, frequently slides off tackle attempts, weak arm tackle attempts, some shying away from contact, hesitates and sometimes avoid working downhill into crowds
Overview: Harris is one of the oldest prospects in the 2025 NFL Draft. He fought through several injuries in college, including one that cost him a full season, and dealt with several off-field incidents. Harris plays to both the boundary and field for Iowa. The Hawkeyes occasionally task him with operating on an island in Cover 1 press-man but also has experience playing cloud coverage or operating in other shells in off-man and soft shoe press. Harris’s arm length should meet the league’s standards. His speed is good but not great and will present a limiting factor in some receiver-specific matchups. The Illinois native uses his patience to mirror releases before getting in-phase with his sudden and sometimes twitchy footwork. He mirrors receivers through sharp cuts in their release and rarely loses at the line. Harris lacks elite speed, but his acceleration and recovery burst keep him in routes against deep threats. He uses independent hands and a one-armed stab to press receivers at the line but doesn’t drive outside releases into the sideline. Harris is comfortable and smooth operating in a half-turn. After six years in college, he’s developed an impressive understanding of leverage. The former three-star recruit seamlessly transitions between threats in zone and sometimes hides himself to bait quarterbacks into bad throws. He anticipates throws and quickly closes on short to intermediate routes to contest the catch and limit yards after the catch. Harris steps down to crowd receivers on short routes and choke throwing lanes. His eagerness sometimes leads to him biting on route fakes and tempo changes. Harris struggles to decelerate out of his half-turn and allows consistent separation at the top of the stem on intermediate comebacks and curls. Receivers sometimes force him to spin around and relocate his mark early in the route. Harris’ focus on reading the quarterback leads to his vision narrowing and losing track of receiving threats. He excels at the catch point, making plays on the football around receivers without fouling. His size and length give him a nice area of influence in contested situations. Harris comes downhill to make stops but is a poor tackler who frequently fails to bring down ball carriers with his weak arm tackles. He shies away from contact at times and doesn’t like stepping down into crowds.
Overall, Harris has developed the skill set to succeed in man and zone coverage assignments across his long collegiate career, and he possesses the physical traits to play a diverse coverage menu in the NFL. He’s best in zone because of his ability to read, diagnose, and attack routes with the play unfolding in front of him. Medicals could cause Harris to fall on draft night.
Role & Scheme Fit: Outside corner in a Cover 2 scheme with Cover 1 opportunities
Round Grade: Fourth Round
Size: 6'1", 189 lbs. (Unofficial)
Submitted: 10-24-24
Updated: 11-27-24