Percy Harvin

[Toronto Sooner]

The way the media and posters talk about Harvin (and Tebow), one gets the impression that they are the greatest college football players ever.

This is why I don't understand why Percy Harvin is only ranked as #32 for draft eligible players. Does anyone know what his deficiencies are? Why does he not have a top 5 ranking, like Darren Mcfadden did (a similar wild hog type player)? I just don't get it, if Percy Harvin is billed as this great football player, period, college or otherwise. I just don't get it, do the ranking expects have it all wrong to rank 31 current college players ahead of him. I'm just curious, as I can't seem to get the hype to reconcile.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/draft

[swardboy]

"Urban" legends?

[soonerfan28]

He's the DeSean Jackson of this group. He's probably listed bigger then what he really is and he doesn't have a true position within Florida's offense.

[ETGator1]

ESPN doesn't have his weight right. Harvin is a solid 205, not 187 1/2.

Percy could be a WR or RB in the NFL. He's that good.

I suspect the reason he is down the list is that Percy has had ankle and heel problems throughout his career. He had major heel surgery after last season that took him up until the start of the 08 season for recovery. He then had the high ankle sprain against FSU that caused him to miss the SECCG.

I'm just guessing, but some teams will pass on Harvin and then regret it later. Emmitt was taken at #17 when he went to the Cowboys. I imagine there are quite a few teams that wished they had taken him earlier, particularily the Jets when they took the PSU RB over Emmitt.

[Sooner13]

Emmit>>>>>>>Harvin

[ETGator1]

Emmit>>>>>>>Harvin

When Emmitt came out in 1990 after his junior season, nobody thought he'd end up being the NFL all-time leading rusher. It's easy to say that now in retrospect. I got to watch Emmitt for 4 years in high school. Even then, Emmitt had that extraness about him that you just knew he was going to leave his mark in the football world.

Percy Harvin has that extraness about him too. If he can keep his heel from injury, he's going to be a great pro. The high ankle sprain he had at FSU has nothing to do with the heel he had surgury on. That was just a sloppy/wet field in Tallahassee and we had several guys go down with injuries.

[Sooner13]

When Emmitt came out in 1990 after his junior season, nobody thought he'd end up being the NFL all-time leading rusher. It's easy to say that now in retrospect. I got to watch Emmitt for 4 years in high school. Even then, Emmitt had that extraness about him that you just knew he was going to leave his mark in the football world.

Percy Harvin has that extraness about him too. If he can keep his heel from injury, he's going to be a great pro. The high ankle sprain he had at FSU has nothing to do with the heel he had surgury on. That was just a sloppy/wet field in Tallahassee and we had several guys go down with injuries.

Not that I disagree with you, but you're talking about a RB that held nearly every UF rushing record coming out of college, versus a WR/RB that's never had 1,000 yards receiving or rushing in a season.

[soonerfan28]

Ted Ginn Jr = Percy Harvin

[stoops the eternal pimp]

Height and weight are concerns...and as stated earlier, no true position.

Even though he has good hands, he needs a lot of work with his routes.

As a running back, he still needs to develop some as well.

He could be a Reggie Bush type used player or a Devin Hester, but most teams will not use a top pick on a guy with no true position

[DCGator]

Not that I disagree with you, but you're talking about a RB that held nearly every UF rushing record coming out of college, versus a WR/RB that's never had 1,000 yards receiving or rushing in a season.


Part of that is due to the type of offense we run, the other is due to his injuries. Percy really needs another year in college to show he can stay healthy, and to work on his route running. He already is a great runner. As stated earlier, his health issues is the reason he is not rated higher. He will most likely improve his draft status in the combines.

If you watched him every game like us Gator fans, you would see how special this guy is. He's a very North-South runner. He has a way of just making a slight change in angle to avoid a tackle while still accellerating down field, rather than juking and allowing the pursuit to catch up. He also makes the first guy miss 99.9 % of the time. He is a bit like Teddy Ginn, but he is a better runner in traffic and a much better receiver. He will be a special player in the NFL, if he can stay healthy.

[oupride]

I think his value diminishes on the pro level because the talent is so much greater, however he could be one of the greatest college players. Hope this makes sense.

[Jacie]

He also makes the first guy miss 99.9 % of the time.

So in the 313 times he's touched the ball, ole Percy's been tackled by the first guy only three times in his college career.

Simply amazing.

[yermom]

#32 overall doesn't mean that much. how many RBs or WRs are in front of him?

[tscboys]

These Gator fans are awful, they'll see just how good he is, just like them Suc fans saw how good Mr. Bush was in the NFL. A special NFL player = AD. Not Percy Harvin.

[yermom]

i was thinking Bush is more of a fair comparison

i don't really care about how many yards he has, they just distribute the ball well.

it's like our receivers. none of them really have all that many yards, they just kinda took turns having huge games or making big plays

[SPuL]

So in the 313 times he's touched the ball, ole Percy's been tackled by the first guy only three times in his college career.

Simply amazing.

lmaoo +1

[DCGator]

These Gator fans are awful, they'll see just how good he is, just like them Suc fans saw how good Mr. Bush was in the NFL. A special NFL player = AD. Not Percy Harvin.

Who knows? We'll see in a few years. There are a lot of players people thought were locks to be NFL greats who didn't pan out (Ryan Leaf). No one can predict with 100% certainty how someone will do in the NFL. I think Harvin has the skills and the work ethic to be great (again, if he stays healthy), but it's a crap shoot. Now Danny Wuerffel, as great a college player as he was, I never thought he had the arm to be a great NFL QB.

[catsigater]

These Gator fans are awful, they'll see just how good he is, just like them Suc fans saw how good Mr. Bush was in the NFL. A special NFL player = AD. Not Percy Harvin.

You've twisted the original question around. Harvin is one of the top 4 or 5 "difference makers" playing the game today. He's more talented than Bush, but he's been injured for much of his career. That's the reason he's only the #32 player.

If he's just one of those injury-prone guys, he won't have much of a career. If he can get past those, I suspect he'll make folks forget all about Bush.

Adrian Peterson is in a whole other league. Physically, even Emmit can't match him. If he has a long career, he's stands a good chance of being mentioned as one of the best ever at that position. As has been noted, Harvin doesn't really have a "position", but he can be weapon in the NFL.

If he stays healthy.

[SPuL]

Best at that position? pshh, by the end of his career Adrian Peterson will surely be taking snaps from under center. Heck, I wouldn't be surprised if it happened as early as next year with the horrible play of Jackson.

[DCGator]

So in the 313 times he's touched the ball, ole Percy's been tackled by the first guy only three times in his college career.

Simply amazing.

Ah, you must have been a math major at OU. 99.9% of 313 is .313 or ~ 0.

I was using hyperbole, of course, but you knew that.

[adoniijahsooner]

When Emmitt came out in 1990 after his junior season, nobody thought he'd end up being the NFL all-time leading rusher. It's easy to say that now in retrospect. I got to watch Emmitt for 4 years in high school. Even then, Emmitt had that extraness about him that you just knew he was going to leave his mark in the football world.

Percy Harvin has that extraness about him too. If he can keep his heel from injury, he's going to be a great pro. The high ankle sprain he had at FSU has nothing to do with the heel he had surgury on. That was just a sloppy/wet field in Tallahassee and we had several guys go down with injuries.

Hey gator, i have a question. What ritual did Emmitt practice before games in college? I remember watching a bowl game years ago, the camera was showing him do what...?

[Gandalf_The_Grey]

The first logical reason as to why he wouldn't have a first round grade is that fact that he plays in a system where he doesn't carry the ball enough to distinguish him as a running back. He looks more like a slot receiver to me, a more athletic Welker.

[HiFiGator]

I presume that all of this "Harvin Bashing" is somewhat tongue-in-cheek. If not then it will be a heavy dose of foot-in-mouth. Percy is an absolutely amazing football player. Meyer's philosophy is to have a bunch of interchangeable parts. Whether you like that philosophy or not is your own opinion. For that reason, skill position players will likely never put up the incredible award winning statistics. Tebow, last year, was certainly the exception, not the rule. We didn't have quality running backs that we could count on to hold onto the ball. If you've been living under a rock for the last decade or so, then let me tell you: Urban Meyer places a very high premium on ball security. That is why DeShawn Wynn two years ago and Kestahn Moore last year didn't get many touches. Harvin has proven to be very secure with the ball, but since he was plagued with assorted nagging injuries last season, Tebow was often asked to do more than he would have otherwise. I don't think you will see one player have the ridiculous numbers that Tebow had last year ever again in a Meyer offense. If you do, then something is wrong. How does that relate to this thread? It's very easy. Harvin is without a doubt Florida's #1 playmaker. In full pads, he is about as fast a player as I have ever seen in nearly 40 years of covering football at various levels. More importantly, he can change direction without seemingly losing any speed. It almost looks like he gains speed when he cuts on a plant foot. Additionally, he is now icredibly strong. He is between 205 and 210. For anyone who watched the SEC title game, you could get a good glimpse of that seeing him without pads on. He benches 420 pounds. That's a lot if you are a linebacker. That's an insane amount if you are a wide-receiver. Barring unforeseen injury, there is zero doubt that he will put up incredible numbers at the combines and his draft status will skyrocket. For what it's worth, he isn't an idiot either. He's no Rhodes Scholar, but he is well above average for marquee college football players that aren't QBs or middle linebackers. I have a hunch that the Jaguars might take him with the 8th pick come draft time. The point is, yes, all of the hype about the kid is justified. And let me tell you one more, just to show I don't have orange and blue goggles. Julio Jones is a great talent at Alabama, but A.J. Green is the best freshman pure wide receiver that I have ever seen. Barring some unforeseen issue with him, he will be a true star. Don't get me wrong; I hate the Bulldogs, but that kid is the real deal. He is more of a pure wide receiver than Harvin is now. He just doesn't have that gamebreaking ability, at least not yet.

To wrap this all up: Meyer wants to get the ball in the hands of his playmakers .... emphasis on the "s" ... ten to twelve times each. He also wants the second tier guys to get a half dozed touches a game. That kind of balance, if done right is a formula for success, but it doesn't lend itself to the gaudy numbers that other systems do. Deep inside, Urban knows that if push comes to shove, he can count on Harvin touching the ball 20 or 25 times, but the chances of team success decline with such predicatbility.

One last note on the injury issue: it is certainly reasonable to consider whether Harvin is injury prone. Some guys bone and muscle structure and makeup, will tend to be more prone to injury. Additionally, some guys are more able to play through an injury. In Harvin's case, it is reasonable to ask those questions and look into those areas. That being said, I think that Harvin is in a different situation. Not that mulitple sports are any sort of odditiy, but Harvin first injured his heel in tenth grade. It was misdiagnosed and he basically played with the injury until this past off season. He went straight from football to basketball to track, offseason workouts etc... The point is he needed either surgery or rest and had neither. He said back in September that it was the first time since tenth grade that his heel hasn't bothered him. Hopefully the ankle sprain against FSU is nothing but just that. Sorry about the long post, but I hope this clears up some issues.

Go Gators!

[MojoRisen]

Harvin's career game was 168 yards -

People like Reggie Bush, Darren Mcfadden, Emmit Smith all had games over 200 yards rushing and some over 300.

Harvin doesn't get enough carries or simply can only handle so many touches...

No way can you compare him to those other backs...

[P3 Gator]

He's had a series of health issues, mostly related to a heel injury he brought with him from high school. He's also had some sprained ankles, similare to now and missed two games last year due to migranes. I think that's the knock and am really interested in seeing how things work out in the pros. He really is electric with the ball in his hands.

[Sooner13]

He's had a series of health issues, mostly related to a heel injury he brought with him from high school. He's also had some sprained ankles, similare to now and missed two games last year due to migranes. I think that's the knock and am really interested in seeing how things work out in the pros. He really is electric with the ball in his hands.

:les: RUB SOME DIRT ON IT!!!

[P3 Gator]

:les: RUB SOME DIRT ON IT!!!

He was in the hospital with the darned things...serious stuff. Sounds like a headache but it put him down hard.

[Jason White's Third Knee]

I presume that all of this "Harvin Bashing" is somewhat tongue-in-cheek. If not then it will be a heavy dose of foot-in-mouth. Percy is an absolutely amazing football player. Meyer's philosophy is to have a bunch of interchangeable parts. Whether you like that philosophy or not is your own opinion. For that reason, skill position players will likely never put up the incredible award winning statistics. Tebow, last year, was certainly the exception, not the rule. We didn't have quality running backs that we could count on to hold onto the ball. If you've been living under a rock for the last decade or so, then let me tell you: Urban Meyer places a very high premium on ball security. That is why DeShawn Wynn two years ago and Kestahn Moore last year didn't get many touches. Harvin has proven to be very secure with the ball, but since he was plagued with assorted nagging injuries last season, Tebow was often asked to do more than he would have otherwise. I don't think you will see one player have the ridiculous numbers that Tebow had last year ever again in a Meyer offense. If you do, then something is wrong. How does that relate to this thread? It's very easy. Harvin is without a doubt Florida's #1 playmaker. In full pads, he is about as fast a player as I have ever seen in nearly 40 years of covering football at various levels. More importantly, he can change direction without seemingly losing any speed. It almost looks like he gains speed when he cuts on a plant foot. Additionally, he is now icredibly strong. He is between 205 and 210. For anyone who watched the SEC title game, you could get a good glimpse of that seeing him without pads on. He benches 420 pounds. That's a lot if you are a linebacker. That's an insane amount if you are a wide-receiver. Barring unforeseen injury, there is zero doubt that he will put up incredible numbers at the combines and his draft status will skyrocket. For what it's worth, he isn't an idiot either. He's no Rhodes Scholar, but he is well above average for marquee college football players that aren't QBs or middle linebackers. I have a hunch that the Jaguars might take him with the 8th pick come draft time. The point is, yes, all of the hype about the kid is justified. And let me tell you one more, just to show I don't have orange and blue goggles. Julio Jones is a great talent at Alabama, but A.J. Green is the best freshman pure wide receiver that I have ever seen. Barring some unforeseen issue with him, he will be a true star. Don't get me wrong; I hate the Bulldogs, but that kid is the real deal. He is more of a pure wide receiver than Harvin is now. He just doesn't have that gamebreaking ability, at least not yet.

To wrap this all up: Meyer wants to get the ball in the hands of his playmakers .... emphasis on the "s" ... ten to twelve times each. He also wants the second tier guys to get a half dozed touches a game. That kind of balance, if done right is a formula for success, but it doesn't lend itself to the gaudy numbers that other systems do. Deep inside, Urban knows that if push comes to shove, he can count on Harvin touching the ball 20 or 25 times, but the chances of team success decline with such predicatbility.

One last note on the injury issue: it is certainly reasonable to consider whether Harvin is injury prone. Some guys bone and muscle structure and makeup, will tend to be more prone to injury. Additionally, some guys are more able to play through an injury. In Harvin's case, it is reasonable to ask those questions and look into those areas. That being said, I think that Harvin is in a different situation. Not that mulitple sports are any sort of odditiy, but Harvin first injured his heel in tenth grade. It was misdiagnosed and he basically played with the injury until this past off season. He went straight from football to basketball to track, offseason workouts etc... The point is he needed either surgery or rest and had neither. He said back in September that it was the first time since tenth grade that his heel hasn't bothered him. Hopefully the ankle sprain against FSU is nothing but just that. Sorry about the long post, but I hope this clears up some issues.

Go Gators!


Those Bench number are staggering for a WR. Should be fun to watch. Honestly, it sounds like both offenses have similar philosophies when it comes to spreading around the touches (Adrian Peterson years excluded).

Both offenses have a ton of play makers as well. I suppose that we don't have a marquee receiver like Harvin, but Manual Johnson, Jaquan Iglesias, Ryan Broyles, and Germain Gresham (TE) are the best bunch I have ever seen on OU's field.

We still have a couple of nice RBs with Madu and Brown. The nifty thing about Bradford is that the guy really can scramble, but hasn't had to.

I am pretty stoked about this game. I am only worried about special teams. O and D will be solid on OU's side of the ball.

[Jason White's Third Knee]

He was in the hospital with the darned things...serious stuff. Sounds like a headache but it put him down hard.


I broke my big toe playing softball about 112 years ago... same time that Deone Sanders had turf toe. I lived in Dallas and the fans were ripping Deone on the sports radio, etc.

When you have to apply all of your weight and accellerate on one injured square inch of your body, it hurts LIKE A BITCH!!!. I couldn't hardly walk worth a **** for 6 months and I have no where near the ability that he does.

Well, after that I don't get down on people for sitting out no matter what the injury. Sounds like nothing? Walk a mile in their shoes.

[G8trGr8t]

Harvin is Steve Smith with a quicker first step and better cutting ability. His athleticism has allowed him to get away with not polishing his routes so he needs to work on that.

His upper body strength is off the charts for a wide receiver. While he was rehabbing from his ankle surgery, he really hit the weight room with a vengeance.

Really hope he stays for his senior year to prove he can stay healthy but can't blame the kid if he decides to go pro. If he can stay healthy, somebody will get a steal in the second round.

[Bccajun]

A lot of talk about what he can do and will do, but the season best 168 yds rushing is his ONLY 100 yd rushing game of the year to go along with 6 yds receiving. That is what makes him great. his best game total yds is 260+ against Ole Miss in a loss.

2 100 yd receiving games 1 with an added 13 yds rushing WOW that was a great outing. and the other in a loss to Ole Miss.

I will take a game with Brown and Madu rushing and Iglesias, Gresham, Johnson, Broyles and Chaney over Harvin and Tebow anytime. No 1000 yard rushers or receivers.

4 OU receivers with more yards and 2 rushers with more yds and Madu closing in with Plenty of playing time less than one of the gator STARS

stuck in SEC country and still not buying into it.
BCcajun

[SOONER STEAKER]

Harvin and Crabtree both have the same injury. Crabtree today was ineffective so I suspect, Harvin will be the same. Doesn't matter though, we're still gonna kick some gaytor butt.

[GG84]

For those saying Percy isn't big, well... I think he's a tad bit bigger than DeSean Jackson at least.

http://gatorcountry.smugmug.com/photos/339525682_sAY9F-L.jpg

Biggest difference between Bush and Percy is Percy is not a dancer like Bush, he's one move and gone. Percy can also run through tackles.

[Circle City Gator]

His draft projection now is irrelevant, both to the game on the 8th and his final draft position. For the game on the 8th, I'm glad we've got him, and you wish you did. The only player on your team you would not trade for Harvin is your quarterback. As for the draft position, it will skyrocket when he gets to the combine, benches more reps than most linebackers, and runs the 40 under 4.3.

[P3 Gator]

Harvin and Crabtree both have the same injury. Crabtree today was ineffective so I suspect, Harvin will be the same. Doesn't matter though, we're still gonna kick some gaytor butt.

That is a concern. High ankle sprains take a long time to heal and he suffered his over Thanksgiving weekend. That's not really a long time given the injury.

[Bccajun]

His draft projection now is irrelevant, both to the game on the 8th and his final draft position. For the game on the 8th, I'm glad we've got him, and you wish you did. The only player on your team you would not trade for Harvin is your quarterback. As for the draft position, it will skyrocket when he gets to the combine, benches more reps than most linebackers, and runs the 40 under 4.3.

Again looking at his numbers where does wanting him come into play here. Yes I bet the team would use him, but why depend on one or two players when the team is what matters.

[ecogator]

Percy sucks. No need to worry about him.

[RoaminSooner]

I for one don't look forward to watching our Sooner D try and stop him. There is real speed on the Florida offense and special teams. That is apparent if you watch the SEC Championship game. I've got it tivo'd and I gave it another viewing yesterday. It would appear some of them have that top end gear that AD has, and I haven't seen that in the competition we've played. That concerns the hell outta me. They also have a punt returner that reminds me of Antonio Perkins. Never the less I still like our chances against their D.

I honestly think this game is going to be a shoot out. The winner will be the team who makes fewer mistakes whether that be penalties or turn-overs.

[goingoneight]

People really shouldn't look at stats to judge a player, but they always do. We have a couple of guys who if they were playing at say Colorado, would be 1st team AA's because they'd get the touches just like AD got n his time post-Jason White and Clayton/Bradley.

Harvin should and will likely draw a corner and a safety in disguised coverage if we're smart, but UF's offense is much like OUrs, many weapons and a great guy that gets them the ball. Chaney had 134 yards against West Virginia, and is certainly capable of doing that all the time, but thanks to Gresham, Murray, Brown, Iglesias, Broyles, Johnson and a school of others sneaking around in opposing secondaries, we didn't have to focus on getting him the ball every game this year. A lot of UF and OU's offensive improvement in 2008 is thanks to Bradford and Tebow being a year older and more seasoned into their roles, not staring down "the guy" with one or two options in breakdowns. They both go through full progressions now each snap.

[L-Boy]

Last year Harvin put up about 1700 total yds between rushing and receiving, and I don't think he was 100% healthy for all games. Hopefully the OU coaching staff think he doesn't warrant much preparation either, but I suspect they are smarter than .....that.

[Scott D]

i was thinking Bush is more of a fair comparison

i don't really care about how many yards he has, they just distribute the ball well.

it's like our receivers. none of them really have all that many yards, they just kinda took turns having huge games or making big plays

so yermom thinks that Harvin will show flashes of brilliance in the midst of being a regular visitor to the injury report as questionable/doubtful ;)

[raquetclub]

Harvin was averaging a touchdown every 5 touches or something absurd for a while, along with 10 yards per touch.

Just as dangerous in Florida's system as Bush was in USC's