Anthony Harris (safety)

Anthony Harris (born October 9, 1991) is an American football free safety for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Virginia, and was signed by the Vikings as an undrafted free agent in 2015.

Anthony Harris
No. 41 – Minnesota Vikings
Position:Free safety
Personal information
Born: (1991-10-09) October 9, 1991
Richmond, Virginia
Height:6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight:202 lb (92 kg)
Career information
High school:Lloyd C. Bird
(Chesterfield, Virginia)
College:Virginia
Undrafted:2015
Career history
Roster status:Active
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of 2019
Total tackles:180
Sacks:0
Forced fumbles:1
Fumble recoveries:4
Interceptions:9
Pass deflections:21
Player stats at NFL.com

Early years

Harris attended Lloyd C. Bird High School in Chesterfield, Virginia, where he played quarterback, wide receiver and defensive back (two-time All-state and All-region selection). As a junior, he allowed only one completion and notched eight interceptions on defense, while also throwing for over 1,000 yards and rushing for 800 more yards from the quarterback spot on offense. In 2010, he was selected to the first-team All-Group AAA football team by the Associated Press (AP) and was named to the All-Dominion District first-team as a utility player and earned All-district second-team accolades at both quarterback and defensive back. Harris was also a starter on the Skyhawk basketball team as well.[1]

Regarded as a three-star prospect according to both Rivals.com and Scout.com, Harris was ranked as the No. 34 athlete in the nation and No. 13 recruit in the state of Virginia by Rivals. He was ranked as the No. 68 wide receiver in the country by Scout. He also received a scouts grade of 72 from ESPN.com and was ranked the No. 201 athlete in nation. Harris committed to play college football at the University of Virginia on June 2, 2010 after being recruited by then Head Coach Jim Reid. He chose the Cavaliers over scholarship offers from Maryland, Richmond and West Virginia, among others.

College career

Harris attended the University of Virginia, where he played for the Virginia Cavaliers football team from 2011 to 2014. He started 35 of the 49 games he played at Virginia. Harris ended his collegiate career with 289 tackles (145 solo and 6 for loss), 11 interceptions, 2 sacks, 2 forced fumbles and 19 passes defensed. His 11 interceptions tied him for No. 10 all-time in program history.

Freshman season (2011)
See also: 2011 Virginia Cavaliers football team

In his first season, Harris was one of 12 true freshmen to appear in games for the Cavaliers, playing in all 13 of Virginia's games. He appeared mostly on special teams and finished the season with 14 total tackles including a season-high three stops at North Carolina.

Sophomore season (2012)
See also: 2012 Virginia Cavaliers football team

As a sophomore in 2012, Harris helped anchor the nation's youngest starting secondary, which featured 4 sophomores and 1 freshman. Harris recorded 87 total tackles (48 solo and 0.5 for loss), a forced fumble, an interception and was credited with 3 passes defensed. He was one of 11 Cavaliers to start all 12 games. He made his first career interception at NC State and returned it for 37 yards. He registered four games with double-digit tackles, with 11 against Penn State, 12 against Louisiana Tech, 10 at Duke and had a career-high 14 tackles against North Carolina. Against Louisiana Tech, he helped hold one of the nation's most prolific offenses to its lowest output of total yards (385 yards) on the season and only game the Bulldogs were held under 400 yards.

Junior season (2013)
See also: 2013 Virginia Cavaliers football team

As a junior in 2013, Harris started 11 games for the Cavaliers, earned first-team All-ACC honors and was an All-American by Sports Illustrated after leading the nation in interceptions with eight, the most by a Cavalier since Ronde Barber led the ACC with eight in 1994.[2][3] Harris finished the season with 80 total tackles (42 solo and 3.5 for loss), one sack, a forced fumble, six passes defensed and eight interceptions, which placed Harris No. 2 all-time at Virginia for interceptions in a season, tied with Ronde Barber and Kevin Cook. He also blocked a key punt in the second half of Virginia's victory against BYU and was named the Walter Camp National Defensive Player of the Week for his efforts against the Cougars.

Senior season (2014)
See also: 2014 Virginia Cavaliers football team

In his final season at Virginia, Harris was named 3rd-Team All-ACC. Harris notched a career-high 108 tackles (No. 5 in the ACC and No. 31 in the nation) along with 2 interceptions, a sack and ten passes defensed. He had eight tackles, broke up one pass and returned one interception for seven yards in Virginia's win against No. 21 Louisville to earn the first of his two ACC Defensive Back of the Week honors, with the second one coming in a win over Miami in which he recorded 10 tackles and broke up three passes. He had 13 tackles against Pitt, including one sack for a loss of 11 yards. He ended the year with seven tackles in the season finale at Virginia Tech.

Statistics
Regular season statistics Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
SeasonTeamGPGSCombTotalAstSckSftyPDefIntYdsAvgLngTDsFFFRFR YDS
2011Virginia13014680.0--0000.000000
2012Virginia12128748390.0--313737.0370100
2013Virginia12118042381.0--68425.2210100
2014Virginia121210849591.0--10263.070000
Totals49352891451442.00191185--370200

Professional career

On December 1, 2014, it was announced that Harris had accepted his invitation to play in the 2015 Senior Bowl.[4] Unfortunately, he was unable to participate after discovering he had sustained a torn labrum during his senior season that would require surgery. Harris attended the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, Indiana, but was limited to the 40-yard dash due to his injury. He had private visits with representatives from the Minnesota Vikings, New York Giants, and Detroit Lions.[5][6][7] At the conclusion of the pre-draft process, Harris received a wide range of varying draft projections due to his shoulder injury. He was projected by NFL draft experts and scouts to possibly go as early as the second round or as late as the seventh. The majority of draft experts and scouts projected him to be a third or fourth round pick. He was ranked the fourth best safety prospect by NFL analyst Charles Davis, the fifth best safety by NFL analyst Bucky Brooks, and was ranked the ninth best free safety in the draft by NFLDraftScout.com.[8][9][10]

Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand size 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump
6 ft 1 in
(1.85 m)		 183 lb
(83 kg)		 32 in
(0.81 m)		 9 1⁄4 in
(0.23 m)		 4.56 s
All values from NFL Combine[11]

2015

On May 2, 2015, the Minnesota Vikings signed Harris as an undrafted free agent after he was not one of the 15 safeties selected during the 2015 NFL Draft. The Vikings signed him to a three-year, $1.58 million contract that includes a $10,000 signing bonus.[12] Harris going undrafted surprised many scouts and analysts, due to the 2015 NFL Draft being very thin at the safety position with only four true safeties being selected in the first two rounds. His fall in the draft was attributed to his shoulder injury and many reporting his recovery process could possibly extend into the beginning of the regular season.[13] ESPN analyst Todd McShay listed Harris as the top undrafted free agent after the draft.[14]

Throughout his first training camp, Harris competed against Andrew Sendejo, Antone Exum, and Robert Blanton for the starting strong safety position. On September 5, 2015, he was waived by the Minnesota Vikings, but was re-signed to the practice squad the following day.[15]

On December 8, 2015, Harris was promoted to the active roster after spending the first 12 games on the practice squad. He was named the starting free safety, alongside cornerback Terrence Newman, after multiple injuries to safeties Harrison Smith, Andrew Sendejo, and Antone Exum. On December 10, 2015, Harris made his first career start and professional regular season debut during a 23-20 loss to the Arizona Cardinals and led the team with eight combined tackles while also deflecting a deep pass attempt by Carson Palmer.[16] The following game, he made his second consecutive start and collected five combined tackles and defended a pass in a 38-17 victory over the Chicago Bears. He finished his rookie season with 15 combined tackles (12 solo) and two pass deflections in four games and two starts.[17]

The Minnesota Vikings completed the 2015 season with an 11-5 record and finished atop the NFC North. On January 10, 2016, Harris appeared in his first career playoff game as the Vikings lost 10-9 to the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC Wildcard game.

2016

Harris entered training camp competing for a job as the backup safety against Michael Griffin, Antone Exum, and Jayron Kearse. Head coach Mike Zimmer named Harris the backup free safety to Harrison Smith to begin the 2016 season.[18]

On December 11, 2016, Harris started at free safety in place of an injured Harrison Smith who suffered a severe high ankle sprain.[19] He recorded seven solo tackles in a 25-16 victory at the Jacksonville Jaguars. The next week, Harris collected a career-high 15 combined tackles and defended a pass as the Vikings were routed 34-6 by the Indianapolis Colts. On January 1, 2017, he started at strong safety in place of Andrew Sendejo who injured his knee during practice. Harris went on to make eight combined tackles in a 38-10 victory over the Chicago Bears.[20] He finished the season with 30 combined tackles (11 solo) and a pass deflection and played in 16 games with three starts.[21]

2017

Harris began the 2017 regular season as the backup free safety to Harrison Smith. On October 15, 2017, against the Green Bay Packers, he started at strong safety after Andrew Sendejo was sidelined with a groin injury.[22] He recorded two solo tackles in a 23-10 victory for Minnesota. Due to Sendejo being suspended for a Week 8 matchup against the Cleveland Browns in London, Harris got the start again and recovered a fumble by running back Isaiah Crowell in the third quarter. During a Week 11 matchup against the Los Angeles Rams, Harris recorded a season-high seven combined tackles after starting at strong safety with Sendejo inactive due to a groin and hamstring injury. Harris also deflected a pass, as the Vikings defeated the Rams 24-7.[23]

2018

On March 8, 2018, Harris re-signed with the Vikings.[24] In Week 6 against the Arizona Cardinals, Harris recorded his first career interception off quarterback Josh Rosen in the 27-17 win. In Week 11 against the Chicago Bears, Harris intercepted Mitchell Trubisky twice in a 25-20 loss.[25]

2019

On March 11, 2019, the Vikings placed a second-round restricted free agent tender on Harris.[26] Following the release of Andrew Sendejo, Harris was named a starting safety alongside Harrison Smith.

In Week 1 against the Atlanta Falcons, Harris intercepted Matt Ryan twice and recovered a fumble as the Vikings won 28-12.[27] For his Week 1 effort, Harris was awarded NFC Defensive Player of the Week.[28] In Week 8 against the Washington Redskins, Harris recorded his third interception of the season off Dwayne Haskins Jr. in the 19-9 win.[29] On December 2, 2019, against the Seattle Seahawks, Harris intercepted Russell Wilson and returned it 20 yards for his first career touchdown in the 37-30 loss. Harris would record two more interceptions throughout the season, which came off Philip Rivers in a 39-10 win over the Los Angeles Chargers, and Aaron Rodgers in a 23-10 loss to the Green Bay Packers.

In the NFC Wild Card game against the New Orleans Saints, Harris intercepted a pass thrown by Drew Brees and returned it for 30 yards during the 26–20 overtime win.[30]

2020

On March 16, 2020, the Vikings placed the franchise tag on Harris.[31] He signed his franchise tender on May 18, 2020.[32]

Career statistics

Regular Season
Season Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
YearTeamGPGSCombSoloAstSckSftyPDefIntYdsAvgLngTDsFFFRYDS
2015MIN 42151330.0--2000.000000
2016MIN 1634130110.0--1000.000010
2017MIN 163181620.0--1000.000120
2018MIN 1534634120.0--633311.0330000
2019MIN 14146035230.0--116427.0201010
Total6531180127530.0--219756.6331140

Postseason
Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
GP GS Comb Solo Ast Sck Sfty PDef Int Yds Avg Lng TDs FF FR YDS
2015 MIN 1 0 Special Teams - No Stats
2018 MIN 2 0 11 8 3 0.0 -- 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0
2019 MIN 2 2 9 5 4 0.0 -- 1 1 30 30.0 30 0 0 0 0
Career 5 2 20 13 7 0.0 -- 1 1 30 30.0 30 0 0 0 0
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References
  1. http://www.virginiasports.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/anthony_harris_799742.html
  2. Virginia football notes: Harris on ACC coaches' first team
  3. Jameis Winston, Aaron Donald lead SI.com's 2013 All-America Team
  4. "Third group of players pushes roster to 63". seniorbowl.com. December 1, 2014. Retrieved December 14, 2017.
  5. Dave Birkett (April 21, 2015). "Lions host Virginia safety on draft visit". freep.com. Retrieved December 14, 2017.
  6. Carl Knowles (April 23, 2014). "Anthony Harris, A safety on the mend". vikingsterritory.com. Retrieved December 14, 2017.
  7. "Virginia safety Anthony Harris has pre-draft visit with Giants, per source". nj.com. April 20, 2015. Archived from the original on December 15, 2017. Retrieved December 14, 2017.
  8. "Anthony Harris, DS #9 FS, Virginia". nfldraftscout.com. Retrieved December 14, 2017.
  9. Charles Davis (April 7, 2015). "2015 NFL Draft prospect rankings by position". NFL.com. Retrieved December 14, 2017.
  10. Bucky Brooks (February 25, 2015). "Brooks: Top five 2015 NFL Draft prospects by position". NFL.com. Retrieved December 15, 2017.
  11. "NFL Draft Profile: Anthony Harris". NFL.com. Retrieved December 14, 2017.
  12. "Spotrac.com: Anthony Harris contract". Spotrac.com. Retrieved December 14, 2017.
  13. "Why Undrafted?: Anthony Harris". WalterFootball.com. Retrieved December 14, 2017.
  14. Chris Burke (May 5, 2015). "The next Wes Welker: Finney, Harris among top undrafted free agents". si.com. Retrieved December 14, 2017.
  15. Isaac Schweer (September 6, 2015). "Vikings Re-Sign 9 to Practice Squad". wjon.com. Retrieved December 14, 2017.
  16. Eric Oslund (December 13, 2015). "Harris shows promise at safety for Minnesota". scout.com. Retrieved December 14, 2017.
  17. "NFL Player stats: Anthony Harris". NFL.com. Retrieved December 15, 2017.
  18. "Ourlads.com: Minnesota Vikings depth chart: 10/01/2016". Retrieved December 15, 2017.
  19. Patra, Kevin (December 7, 2016). "Report: Harrison Smith could miss rest of regular season". NFL.com. Retrieved December 15, 2017.
  20. Tasman, Kyle (December 31, 2016). "Andrew Sendejo placed on Injured Reserve". 247sports.com. Retrieved December 15, 2017.
  21. "NFL Player stats: Anthony Harris (2016)". NFL.com. Retrieved December 15, 2017.
  22. Yotter, Tim (October 23, 2017). "Sendejo inactive, Packers missing starters". scout.com. Retrieved December 15, 2017.
  23. Yotter, Tim (November 23, 2017). "Sendejo returns for Vikings, Lions make Ansah active". scout.com. Retrieved December 15, 2017.
  24. Alper, Josh (March 8, 2018). "Vikings will hold onto Anthony Harris". ProFootballTalk.NBCSports.com.
  25. "In loss to Bears, Anthony Harris makes his case at safety". SKOR North. November 19, 2018. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
  26. "Vikings Announce Roster Moves". Vikings.com. March 11, 2019.
  27. "Vikings trample Falcons 28-12 behind fierce defense, Cook". www.espn.com. Associated Press. September 8, 2019. Retrieved September 8, 2019.
  28. "Lamar Jackson, Dak Prescott among Players of the Week". NFL.com. September 11, 2019.
  29. "Cook, Vikings wear down Redskins 19-9 for 4th straight win". www.espn.com. October 24, 2019. Retrieved October 24, 2019.
  30. "Cook, Vikings upend Saints 26-20 in OT in NFC playoffs". www.espn.com. Associated Press. January 5, 2020. Retrieved January 5, 2020.
  31. Shook, Nick (March 16, 2020). "Vikings use franchise tag to keep Anthony Harris". NFL.com.
  32. Smith, Eric (May 18, 2020). "Anthony Harris Signs Franchise Tender Offer". Vikings.com. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
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