All Macho does is make plays.
Let's turn our attention to cornerback now as we prepare for the draft. One of the most heavily discussed prospects this offseason has been Victor "Macho" Harris - the talented Virginia Tech corner.
So I enlisted the help of Glenn VanLandingham of VirginiaTechFan.com. Below are Macho's combine and pro day results followed by Glenn's scouting report on Harris.
Macho Harris
Height: 5'11 1/8" / Weight: 197
40: 4.48 / Arm: 31 3/4" / Vertical: 34" / Broad: 10'1"
Macho is built for the NFL. His measurables are good, but don’t wow you especially his speed. He’s 6’, around 195 lbs and probably only runs a 4.6 40-yard dash. However he’s simply a playmaker. Macho started regularly beginning in his true-SO year at cornerback, and quickly developed a knack for being around the ball. Ever since he’s lead the team and ranked high in the ACC for interceptions and pass breakups. When you talk about ‘lock down’ cornerbacks, that’s Macho.
In the Virginia Tech defense, cornerbacks are critical because of Bud Fosters attacking style defense. Bud’s played a modified 8 men in the box scheme since long before it was popular, so his approach is “I’ll get to your quarterback before your receivers get open”. That means Hokie cornerbacks get left on islands and have to be consistent, solid (and some say cocky). Macho basically took care of half the secondary for the Hokies for 3 years. When teams threw towards him, they risked INTs or pass breaks ups. Macho made several huge, game changing plays over the years for the Hokies, including several “pick-six”. The few games when he was out injured, they was a very noticeable difference in the performance of the defense.
Macho’s biggest drawback is his speed, which I believe will work against him on draft day. He generally makes up for it in athleticism and physicalness. Last year, he was moved to the ‘boundary corner’ position – the CB on the short side of the field which is responsible for a lot of run support, and Macho thrived. He had tons of Sportscenter-type hits on RBs and WRs, and blew up a bunch of screen plays. Again he has a knack for being around the ball and making plays.
The Hokies also put Macho to work on special teams as a kick-off returner primarily and occasional punt returner, where he also made big plays. They even put him on offense in his Jr and Sr year, though this may have had more to do with a lack of playmakers on that side of the ball than anything.
Bottom line, some NFL team will be getting a good one and I expect him to thrive at the next level.
A big thanks goes out to Glenn from VirginiaTechFan.com for putting this all together for us. And let me just add that I've watched a lot of Macho's highlights and read a lot about him and I've changed my tune on him. I'd absolutely love to see Harris wearing aqua and orange on Sundays. The kid's a stright up play-maker.