One of Michigan’s most intriguing wide receivers is apparently no longer set to snag passes out of the air on offense for the Wolverines. Instead, he’ll apparently snag them out of the air for the team’s defense.
Redshirt junior Drake Harris tweeted the news on Monday that he was flipping sides and moving to play cornerback after several injury-filled seasons at wideout in Ann Arbor.
Excited to start my next journey on the defensive side of the ball! Wide receiver ➡️ Cornerback 😈
— Drake Harris (@dharris04) May 15, 2017
Harris recorded just eight catches for 50 yards after joining the team with high hopes of being a big-time deep threat with his size and speed. That never quite panned out due to various leg injuries over the years and it seems the move to defense could be a way of offering a new path to playing time for the 6-foot-4, 188-pound corner.
It’s a bit interesting to see Harris announce the move now -- weeks after spring practice -- but at least it gives him the rest of the summer to learn some of the in’s and out’s of Don Brown’s defense. The Wolverines do need to find some receivers for Wilton Speight to throw to in fall camp but the arrival of a talented recruiting class at the position could have hastened the transition to become the team’s bigger cornerback.
Either way, Harris should have two more seasons to learn the position and possibly, with his size, think about intercepting passes at the next level instead of catching them on offense.