Former Oklahoma State Corner Kenneth Harris Among Highest-Graded Rookies in Preseason Week 1

Kenneth Harris’ Oklahoma State story was one of perseverance, and it seems to be paying dividends early in his NFL journey.

Now with the New England Patriots, Harris ranked 15th among rookies in PFF grades for the NFL’s first round of preseason games.

He was graded out at an 86.1 in the Pats 13-13 tie with the Indianapolis Colts. Harris had a pair of tackles and a pass breakup. According to PFF, he was targeted three times in 16 coverage snaps, where he allowed a lone six-yard reception.

Harris spent three seasons in Stillwater after beginning his career at Arkansas State.

Harris played 1,504 defensive snaps across his three seasons at Arkansas State. But the playing time dried up when he got to Stillwater, taking part in just 96 defensive snaps across his first two seasons as a Cowboy. In the modern world, it would’ve been easy for Harris to hop back in to portal in search of playing time, but that wasn’t the way he saw it.

“I love Oklahoma State, and I believed in me,” Harris said going into last season. “It’s simple. I love Oklahoma State. I love being here. And I just believed in me. I could’ve transferred, took the easy way out, went somewhere I could’ve played instantly, but it wasn’t about instant gratification. I wanted to prove myself. I wanted to prove that I can play here, so I stuck it out and I grinded hard. It paid off.”

Harris played 669 defensive snaps for the Cowboys last season — the most among OSU defenders. He made 33 tackles, two tackles for loss and a sack while breaking up six passes, which led the team.

Then Harris was the star of OSU’s Pro Day. He ran a 4.48 40-yard dash while turning in a 10-foot, 9-inch broad jump, a 39.5-inch vertical and 22 reps on the bench press. He signed with the Patriots as an undrafted free agent in May.

“It shows my resilience,” Harris said at Pro Day. “I didn’t transfer, I stayed, I proved I can play at this level. And I stuck it out, and I finally got my opportunity. And it showed here today, and I’m proud of myself coming this far.”