ASU’s Reed Harris ranks 1 spot ahead of Arch Manning in NFL Draft expert’s top 50 prospects

Arizona State football’s season has fluctuated as the Sun Devils cycled through three quarterbacks, but wide receiver Reed Harris has been a constant.

The 6-foot-5 Boston College transfer was ranked Thursday as the No. 24 prospect for the 2027 NFL Draft by The Athletic’s Dane Brugler, one spot ahead of high-profile Texas quarterback Arch Manning.

Harris, one of four receivers to get a first-round grade by Brugler, has at least 100 receiving yards in five out of nine games. He notched career highs with nine catches, 189 yards and two touchdowns at Texas A&M on Sept. 12.

He entered the week leading the Big 12 in receiving yards (907) and was second in touchdowns (nine) and fourth in catches (52). He was sixth among Power Four players in receiving yards.

Brugler wrote of Harris:

A high school quarterback, Harris is a big athlete who looks more natural than expected framing the football. He has the speed to stack corners, but also the physicality to win crowded targets and keep his balance after the catch to find the hidden yardage.

Harris is the nation’s seventh-highest graded wide receiver by PFF (among those with more than 20 targets). He boasts a high-end average depth of target (13.9) while only having one drop on the year.

He is also showing versatility in his utilization. His snaps have come predominantly out wide as would be expected for a receiver his size, but he’s offering slightly more out of the slot (20.8%) than other projected top receiver prospects Jeremiah Smith (17.3%) or Charlie Becker (20.3%).

Harris also ranks higher in yards after catch per reception (6.4) than Smith (5.4) and Becker (3.8), who are ranked at Nos. 1 and 5 by Brugler, respectively.

The one dud of a game for Harris so far this season came when he had one catch for four yards at BYU on Oct. 31. That was the first start for freshman quarterback Jake Fette, a game where the Cougars sent a second defender toward Harris on just about every snap.

Harris bounced back with a 103-yard showing against Colorado that included a touchdown.

He was the only Sun Devil included in Brugler’s top 50, as his fellow high-profile receiver, Omarion Miller, has not produced enough to be in early-round consideration.

Jalen Thompson is likely playing his way onto NFL boards with 38 total pressures (fourth among Power Four defensive ends). But in part because he has been a surprise, Thompson is not to the level of an early-round pick, either.

Where does Reed Harris rank among wide receivers for 2027 NFL Draft?

Per Brugler’s rankings:

1. Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith (No. 1 overall)
2. Indiana’s Charlie Becker (No. 5)
3. Indiana’s Nick Marsh (No. 17)
4. ASU’s Reed Harris (No. 24)
5. LSU’s Jackson Harris (No. 33)
6. Rutgers’ KJ Duff (No. 36)
7. Texas’ Cam Coleman (No. 43)

Harris and the Sun Devils are scheduled to kick off Saturday’s game at UCF at 3:30 p.m. MST, after the game had to be pushed back due to a nationwide ground stop on Friday.

Listen to ASU-UCF on Arizona Sports 98.7 or the app.

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