Antioch High School Alum Among Top NFL Draft Prospects

ANTIOCH, CA — The 2021 NFL Draft begins Thursday night in Cleveland, with a rooting interest opportunity for fans in Contra Costa County. Najee Harris, a former Antioch High School star, is among the top prospects and could be selected by an NFL team as early as the first round Thursday night.

Harris is among the top 50 prospects entering the draft, according to USA Today. Harris, 6 feet 2 inches tall and 230 pounds, is ranked No. 38. He was the No. 1 running back in the 2017 recruiting class, according to 247sports, and in the 2019 season was the main man in the Crimson Tide's run game, USA Today reported.

"For his Alabama career, Harris gained 3,843 yards and scored 46 rushing touchdowns on 638 carries, adding 80 catches for 781 yards and 11 touchdowns," USA Today reported. "Harris’ 4,624 career yards from scrimmage ranks eighth in SEC history, just ahead of the 4,575 gained by some guy from Auburn named Bo Jackson from 1982 through 1985."

Pro Football Focus ranked Harris No. 2 among running backs and No. 65 overall out of 300.

Now 23 years old, Harris awaits the next step in his career. He’s expected to be selected sometime during the draft, which includes 259 total selections over seven rounds from Thursday to Saturday.

Three other California players join Harris in USA Today's list of the Top 50 draft prospects: Miami player Jaelan Phillips from Redlands is ranked No. 12; Alijah Vera-Tucker who played for Bishop O'Dowd High School in Oakland and USC, is ranked No. 31; and Jevon Holland, who also played for Bishop O'Dowd before going on to play for Oregon, is ranked No. 40.

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The Jacksonville Jaguars have the No. 1 pick in the draft and are widely expected to select Trevor Lawrence, the Clemson University quarterback. The New York Jets have the second pick in the draft, as the order of selections is based on how the teams finished the year before.

The San Francisco 49ers have the No. 3 pick after acquiring it through trades, and the Atlanta Falcons and Cincinnati Bengals will round out the first five.

First-round picks will be made Thursday night, with the second and third rounds on Friday and rounds four through seven scheduled for Saturday.