David Harris attended Ottawa Hills High School in Grand Rapids, Michigan where he was a member of the football team and the track and field team. He was a two-year starter on the football team, playing linebacker and fullback. He finished with a school record 158 tackles as a junior. As a senior, David finished with 140 tackles on defense while rushing for 565 yards and 9 touchdowns on offense. He was named first team all-state following his senior season. He finished his career with 295 tackles and 16 sacks on defense and 734 yards and 15 rushing touchdowns on offense. He set school records for solo tackles in a season (114), total tackles in a season (158), and solo tackles in a career (225). He accepted a scholarship to the University of Michigan where he sat out the 2002 season as a redshirt. He saw action in two games the following season before suffering a knee injury, effectively ending his season. He finished with a single tackle on the year. As a sophomore, David saw action in seven games, starting one contest. He finished the season with 10 tackles and a forced fumble. He earned a starting job as a junior, leading the team in tackles with 88 stops on the year. He also forced two fumbles. He won the Roger Zatkoff Award for Michigan’s top linebacker. As a senior, David once again led the team in tackles with 103 on the season. He forced a fumble and set career highs in sacks (4) and interceptions (1). He was named first team all-Big Ten and was the Roger Zatkoff Award winner for the second consecutive season. David shared the team MVP award with running back Mike Hart.

David Harris has experience against top competition, having started at middle linebacker for Michigan in the Big Ten over the past two seasons. He has ideal size for the “Mike” linebacker position. He is a tough player and a hard worker with a non-stop motor. He is intelligent and has good leadership qualities. He has good instincts and does a good job of reading and reacting to what the offense is doing. He is a great run stopper who fills his gaps and displays solid tackling technique. Harris does have problems getting off of blocks at times. He lacks ideal speed and doesn’t offer much as a pass rusher. He also struggles in coverage at times. David Harris has only been a starter for two seasons, but in that time he has proven to be one of the better run stoppers in college football. He isn’t a complete linebacker, lacking the speed and athleticism to contribute in areas other than run defense. He will need to improve in pass coverage to be an every down linebacker at the professional level. After a good Senior Bowl and combine, David Harris should be selected in the early second round but he does have a chance to be selected as high as the late first round on draft day.