Jalen Harris

Tight End / Colorado

Ed Hunt:  What are your measurements? (Height, Weight and 40 time)

Jalen Harris:  I’m 6’4, 255lbs, and I did run a 4.82 at Auburn.  We didn’t really run them at CU.

Ed Hunt:  When is your Pro Day?

Jalen Harris:  Wednesday, March 11.

Ed Hunt:  Where are you currently training for the NFL Draft?

Jalen Harris:  I’m in Montgomery at a facility I’ve been training at since high school called Madhouse.

Ed Hunt:  Tell me about your training.

Jalen Harris:  We go there every morning at 8:00.  We focus on bench, 40 and 10-yard splits.  We are also working on vertical jump.  We squat, we bench, and it’s the same training since high school.

Ed Hunt:  What schools were interested in you out of high school?

Jalen Harris:  My top schools were LSU, Alabama and Auburn.  Some other schools that recruited me are Miami, Vanderbilt and Mississippi State.  I think I had 30 something offers.

Ed Hunt:  What made you pick Auburn out of high school?

Jalen Harris:  The main reason I picked Auburn was they were the first school to recruit me in ninth grade.  I had a great relationship with them.  They were actually one of the last schools to offer me.  They had a great fan base win or lose.

Ed Hunt:  Why did you transfer to Colorado?

Jalen Harris:  Just a personal decision.  Auburn didn’t use me as a true tight end.  I also didn’t have many stats.  Auburn was a more running team.  I came to Colorado because of coach Tucker.

Ed Hunt:  What position is your best fit at the next level?

Jalen Harris: Tight end, but at Auburn I played H-back as well.  I can play split end and in-line.  I knew how to get open and run routes.  That’s why I’m more of a tight end.

Ed Hunt:  What is your biggest sport outside of football?

Jalen Harris:  Basketball.  I was a basketball player in high school.  I was a post-up man and I think I averaged a double-double.  It was a small private school and we went farther than we were supposed to say the least.

Ed Hunt:  What is your biggest accomplishment in that sport?

Jalen Harris: I think I was all-state in basketball.  My team won the region and that was because of my leadership.

Ed Hunt:  What are your strengths?

Jalen Harris:  I’m really technique savvy.  I get my hand inside because I had to block some big guys.  I’m a leader.  I don’t get on my teammates.  When I went to Colorado, I was really a guy that they looked at.  I got my masters and two degrees in five years.

Ed Hunt:  What are your weaknesses?

Jalen Harris:  Probably right now coming off an injury from Colorado is probably my explosion.  I had a high ankle sprain at Colorado.  It didn’t heal right.  My explosiveness and trying to get back into the swing of things.

Ed Hunt:  What was the highlight of your career?

Jalen Harris:  Probably the catch.  I had a touchdown for the first touchdown of the season.  I came to catch more balls.  I always wanted to be that guy they looked to in the end zone.  I got a video of the guys cheering me on at Auburn.  It helps how genuine I am with other people.  Everyone at Auburn calling me and congratulating me and that was awesome.

Ed Hunt:  What is your biggest accomplishment in college?

Jalen Harris:  Definitely getting my masters.  Not many people get a masters degree in that time.  I graduated with a 3.6 GPA and I want to shine a light on that, so other guys can do it as well.

Ed Hunt:  What have you learned the most from your coaching staff?

Jalen Harris:  One thing that I’ve learned the most is that you have to be a student of the game.  It is what it takes to be a pro.  Just embracing the grind.

Ed Hunt:  What is your favorite NFL team?

Jalen Harris:  Growing up with no pro teams in Alabama, I would cheer for guys from Montgomery.  Right now, I love the Texans.  I love the city.  My brother lives out there.

Ed Hunt:  Who is an NFL player you model your game after?

Jalen Harris:  I really like the way Rob Gronkowski plays.  Antonio Gates is another one.  I also like George Kittle.  I try to play like those guys.

Ed Hunt:  What is the most important trait for a tight end?

Jalen Harris:  Physicality.  A lot of tight ends shy away from it.  Being from a program where it was stressed, it taught me the importance of physicality.

Ed Hunt:  Before the ball is snapped, what tendencies are you looking for in the defense?

Jalen Harris:  My coaches told me to look at the safeties.  I also look at the defensive front.  It depends on who we play that week.

Ed Hunt:  What players from your team should we keep an eye on for next year?

Jalen Harris:  From Colorado, K.D. Nixon.  He was a guy who went out of his way to make me feel at home at Colorado.  I think he is a pro right now.  He is always doing football stuff.  Dimitri Stanley, Will Sherman and Nate Landman. He practices hard every day and you know what you are going to get from him.  As well as Mustafa Johnson.  He was the anchor of the d-line.

Ed Hunt:  Who is the best player you have faced on an opposing team?

Jalen Harris:  The are so many great guys that I’ve played.  I would probably say Deshaun Watson and Myles Garrett.  They were both first round picks and their play on the field showed that.

Ed Hunt:  What do you enjoy most about football?

Jalen Harris:  The brotherhood.  I’ve got hundreds of brothers that I’ve played with that I stay in touch with.  Probably the camaraderie and brotherhood.  Just having fun in the locker room.

Ed Hunt:  What makes you unique?

Jalen Harris:  Just me being technique sound.  My maturity and playing in two different conferences and just knowing different tendencies and how people play.

Ed Hunt:  What are your hobbies?

Jalen Harris:  If I’m not working out, I like to stay at home and watch Netflix and play Playstation.  Those are probably my two hobbies.

Ed Hunt:  What do you want to do with your life after your football career?

Jalen Harris:  My goal is to become an athletic director.  Getting your degree is important and a lot of guys get bogged down.  I want them to get meaningful degrees.  I just want to make sure they can have the best life that they can have after college.

Ed Hunt:  What were your degrees in?

Jalen Harris:  My degree from Auburn was in marketing and communication and my degree from Colorado was in education.

Ed Hunt:  What five words best describe you?

Jalen Harris:  Lively, mature, hard-working, energetic and happy.  I’m really always a happy person and I just have to remember the sun will come up tomorrow and make the most of every day.

Ed Hunt:  Why should an NFL team draft you?

Jalen Harris:  I think they should draft me because they are getting a guy who is versatile.  I have a no questions asked mentality and I will do whatever it takes to make a team.  I’m not a guy who gets in trouble.  I’m know how to handle my business and take care of everything.