Zxavian Harris has a lot to prove, and much of it is off the field, but he has the chance to be the New Orleans Saints most productive undrafted free agent. The Ole Miss product has a history of off the field concerns that tanked his draft stock all the way to point of falling out of the draft.
On the field, Harris is the large-framed gap plugger the Saints need. That's why Bleacher Report's Gary Davenport labeled Harris as the Saints' best UDFA. His size alone gives him potential to be valuable to the Saints defense. If he can stand his ground and swallow up a block or two, it'll force rushers to have to bounce outside and also let linebackers run and hit more freely.
Organized team activities isn't the time to see what Harris or any defensive lineman can do. We'll have to wait until they start putting pads on, but all eyes should be on how Harris performs. Don't be surprisied if he lands on the initial 53 man roster.
Zxavian Harris has a clear path to the Saints 53 man roster
Oftentimes undrafted free agents don’t fall into advantageous situations. Day 2 talents also don’t frequently fall to being undrafted free agents. In that way, both the Saints and Harris are quite lucky. Harris was an obvious choice for the best undrafted player on the Saints, and the door is open for him to make the roster. His talent will determine what he does with the opportunity, but defensive tackle isn’t the most stacked position.
The Saints don’t have many sure things on the roster at the position. Second round pick Christen Miller, Bryan Bresee and Vernon Broughton are safe, but there’s other veterans whose job isn’t safe. If Harris performs well enough he can get into the rotation.
The Saints took a defensive tackle early because they needed to bolster the position. They need to improve specifically in the running game. Too often the unit would get pushed back instead of setting the line of scrimmage in the Saints' favor.
It doesn't mean Harris should be seen as a surefire member of the 53 man roster. These veterans will be a tough out. If it were one player to point to that Harris could take his spot, it would be Kristian Boyd. He just hasn't been able to find his footing in the rotation in Dennis Allen or Brandon Staley's defense. He's also the younger of the bunch. It would put Harris near the bottom of the rotation, but it would be a solid start.
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