Demetrius Harris
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Harris in 2014 | |||||||||
| No. 84 Kansas City Chiefs | |||||||||
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| Position: | Tight end | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Date of birth: | July 29, 1991 | ||||||||
| Place of birth: | Carrollton, Texas | ||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 230 lb (104 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | Jacksonville (AR) | ||||||||
| College: | Wisconsin–Milwaukee | ||||||||
| Undrafted: | 2013 | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
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| Roster status: | Active | ||||||||
| Career NFL statistics as of Week 11, 2016 | |||||||||
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Demetrius Harris (born July 29, 1991) is an American football tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League (NFL). He played college basketball and club football at University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, which has no varsity college football program. He was signed by the Chiefs as an undrafted free agent in 2013.
Collegiate career
After a standout high school career at Jacksonville High School in Jacksonville, Arkansas, where he made All-State in both football and basketball, Harris originally signed with Arkansas State to play football, but, after failing to qualify academically, he decided to switch to basketball instead. Attending Mineral Area Community College, Harris played basketball for two seasons, before transferring to Milwaukee for his final two eligible seasons.
After playing off the bench his junior year, Harris was a starter his senior year, starting in 28 of 32 games. Despite the Panthers having a lowly 8-24 record, Harris finished 9th in the Horizon League in field goal shooting (46.9%) and led the Panthers in rebounds. After the conclusion of the basketball season, even though he had not played organized football since high school, NFL scouts showed interest in Harris playing football again, citing his size (6'7", 230 lb.) as ideal for the tight end position. Among the teams that showed interest in Harris included the Kansas City Chiefs, Baltimore Ravens, and Dallas Cowboys.[1] To show off his skills for scouts, he held a work out with the Milwaukee Panthers football club team, otherwise known as MPSC.
Professional career
Harris was signed by the Kansas City Chiefs after going undrafted in the 2013 NFL Draft.[2][3] After spending his 2013 season on the Chiefs' practice squad, Harris made the official roster in 2014, though his rookie season was cut short by a broken foot, ending his season after 8 games.
In 2015, Harris caught 7 passes for 74 yards as a backup tight end, mainly used for blocking. Harris caught his first NFL touchdown pass on the final game of the regular season, against the Oakland Raiders. On January 8, 2016, Harris signed a 3 year $6.3 million contract extension.[4]
References
- ↑ McGinn, Bob (April 13, 2013). "UW-Milwaukee's Demetrius Harris trading basketball for football pads". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
- ↑ Chiefs’ Demetrius Harris could be a slam-dunk at tight end
- ↑ Tight end Demetrius Harris confident he can catch on with the Chiefs
- ↑ "Demetrius Harris, Chiefs agree on three-year deal". NFL.com.