Another former Robert Saleh pupil joins the New York Jets
Former San Francisco 49ers defender Marcell Harris is set to join the New York Jets, per NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo.
#Jets are signing S/LB Marcell Harris, source says. Former sixth-round pick of the #49ers reunites with Robert Saleh after 52 games (20 starts) with the Niners the last four years.
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) April 21, 2022
Harris, who turns 28 in June, entered the NFL under current Jets head coach Robert Saleh‘s watch as a sixth-round draft pick out of Florida in 2018.
Harris ends his San Francisco career with 52 games under his belt, including 20 starts. In that span, Harris earned 155 tackles and forced five fumbles while partaking in the 49ers’ run to Super Bowl LIV.
The fifth-year defender entered the league as a safety but made the transition to linebacker under the watch of Saleh’s defensive coordinator successor DeMeco Ryans last season. Harris has also contributed as a special teams tackler.
Played safety his first 3 yrs before converting to weakside LB last year (Saleh/Ulbrich seem to love these types)
The change led to some decent production in coverage:
– 8.8 yards per reception allowed (66th percentile among LB)
– 83.8 passer rating allowed (88th percentile) https://t.co/ovqmnjjbtf
— Michael Nania (@Michael_Nania) April 21, 2022
Saleh spoke highly of Harris’ potential while viewing his original work as a safety during the training camp proceedings in 2019.
“Marcell has no hesitation in his game. He is very physical, he’s a really good box safety, needs to improve his middle of field play,” Saleh said in a transcript obtained by 49ers WebZone.
“You can tell when he is 100-percent sure of what’s about to happen on a play, because he triggers just as fast as all of them. When he triggers, there’s a lot of power and violence that comes with it. So, for Marcell, the more he can train himself to be 100-percent sure every single snap, the faster and the more explosive he’s going to look on tape.”
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Harris is set to be one of several former Saleh disciples that followed him to Florham Park. Other former 49ers on the current Jets roster include running back Tevin Coleman, blocker Laken Tomlinson, cornerback D.J. Reed, and defensive lineman Solomon Thomas.
Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags
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