NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Looking for a surprise with the Titans?
Keep an eye on this early nominee: Jermari Harris.
The 6-foot-1, 191-pound undrafted cornerback out of Iowa looks to have earned some early confidence from his coaches in OTA practices, and the Titans spent big this year to lure guys after the draft was over.
Harris got $234,000 guaranteed, tied for the highest in the class and nearly as much as sixth-round pick Marcus Harris ($253,016), with whom he will compete.
“He’s doing a great job, he’s very, very smart,” passing game coordinator/ cornerback coach Tony Oden said. “He’s a balcony thinker as opposed to a first-floor thinker. He gets the big picture. He wants to know what people are doing around him, he knows that affects the job.
“I like his tempo. He’s aggressive. I think he’s really going to shine more when we put the pads on because he’s a physical guy. But he’s like the rest of them, he’s just earning the right to come back out for one more day.”
Iowa is a good cornerback school.
While he was with the Hawkeyes, Jermari Harris pulled in eight interceptions and recorded 19 pass defenses in 42 games. Per Dane Brugler, Harris allowed just 16 catches with 10 passes defended and zero penalties in 2024.
Before that, he was suspended for the first two games of 2023 for betting. No details became public, but upon his return he said it was “a situation I deeply regret” and that “it was a mistake that I made.”
Brugler had him rated as an undrafted, but of course Harris said he was disappointed his name was not called.
Harris smiled when I conveyed Oden’s balcony compliment, but didn’t run with it.
“I’m still just trying to keep the main thing the main thing,” he said. “Continue to not make the same mistakes, because there are going to be growing pains. It doesn’t make me feel any different. I’ve still got to come out here and earn everything.”
Pre-draft, Brugler had him rated as an undrafted, but of course Harris said he was disappointed his name was not called.
He said he was really focused on the Titans, mostly because of Oden.
“Me and coach Oden had a great talk (during the draft process), I felt the connection,” Harris said. “And I felt this would be a great organization for me to come to.”