Missouri football has been through a rough patch the past few seasons but one thing they’ve consistently done over the years is produce quality defensive linemen who are eventually drafted into the NFL.
It appears they can add one more name to the list.
Tigers defensive end Charles Harris announced on Thursday that he would be giving up his final year of eligibility and heading to the 2017 NFL Draft.
“Charles and I have had a few conversations about his future. I am extremely proud of his approach on a very big decision,” head coach Barry Odom said in a statement. “Certainly, I wish we could have another year with Charles leading our program, but there’s no question in my mind that he’s ready for the next level. He knew the time would come to make a decision, but his primary focus was always this team and doing what he could to make himself better and to help his teammates and coaches.”
Harris rounded out 2016 with nine sacks and 12 tackles for loss. He was second on the team, and first among defensive linemen in the SEC, with 61 tackles and wrapped up his college career seventh in school history with 18 sacks.
The junior is considered to be a potential first-rounder and certainly displayed some of that caliber of play in Columbia despite seeing frequent double-teams trying to keep him away from the quarterback. While Harris’ departure isn’t too much of a shock to those at Missouri, his decision to move on was probably sealed when the school fired defensive line coach Jackie Shipp on Thanksgiving.