Will Harbor realize his athletic upside?
The New York Giants could target a wide receiver at the top of next year’s draft, and adding another explosive athlete to pair with Malik Nabers would certainly be attractive.
So with that in mind, we’re starting this year’s Summer Scouting series with arguably the freakiest athlete in the country at any position and any level.
South Carolina wide receiver Nyck Harbor possesses the rare kind of athleticism that’s normally reserved for video game characters. He holds the distinction of being the first freshman to headline Bruce Feldman’s annual “Freaks List” back in 2023, and became the first player to headline the “Freaks List” in back-to-back years in 2024.
Harbor has true “Track Star” speed — and I mean that literally, not just as a metaphor. His 10.11-second 100-meter time ranking third all-time in South Carolina program history while his 20.20 200-meter time ranks second in program history. Harbor is a World Class athlete, even among the athletic freaks at the highest level of college football.
That 20.20 time earned him a spot in the Olympic Trials with the chance to represent the USA in the 2024 Summer Olympics. Harbor turned down the invitation in order to concentrate on football and this year stepped away from track entirely.
(Harbor is the South Carolina receiver wearing number 8 with white gloves and socks.)
Strengths
Nyck Harbor simply does not make sense as an athlete.
He possesses truly elite size, standing 6-foot-5, 242 pounds and appears to have long arms as well. Harbor looms over any cornerback asked to cover him, and makes other track athletes look like children. We don’t have a concrete 40 time for Harbor, however he’s expected to run somewhere in the 4.3-second range and could even dip down into the 4.2’s.
As you may expect from Harbor, he’s remarkably sudden off the line of scrimmage. Where other big receivers may have sluggish or rolling releases, Harbor explodes off the line with minimum wasted energy. He has light, springy steps and is able to shorten his stride and change his tempo over the course of his route. That allows Harbor to be quicker and more agile than you’d expect from a receiver his size. He’s able to break relatively quickly for a big receiver, as well as be a true deep threat when he lengthens his strides.
Harbor also does a good job of tracking the ball in the air, as well as extending to maximize his (already large) catch radius. He also understands his role in South Crolina’s route concepts and blocking schemes.
Finally, Harbor’s size and strength allow him to run through traffic, as well as be an effective blocker. He has good competitive toughness and is willing to do the dirty work as a blocker or play hard even when he won’t be getting the ball.
Weaknesses
Harbor’s primary weaknesses appear to be as a technician.
Despite his athleticism his routes will likely always be a little bit rounded due to his sheer size. It’s tough to get that much human to change direction quickly, and he can only sink his hips to lower his center of gravity so much.
In addition to his route running, that can also cause him to be a bit inaccurate when blocking in space. He can be a bit prone to whiffing if he has to change direction suddenly or is a bit out of position.
He wasn’t asked to run a particularly diverse route tree, and was usually used as a decoy or to create traffic. Harbor’s catch mechanics are also awkward at this stage of his development. There were a few too many instances of unnecessary basket catching, letting the ball into his chest plate, or double-catches.
Those two factors likely contributed to the fact that he isn’t targeted often and only has 38 catches through two years (12 in 2023, 26 in 2024). That could change as he enters his third year and isn’t splitting his time between track and football.
Final thoughts
Nyck Harbor is going to be absolutely fascinating to watch this year.
He has the athletic potential to be dominant at his position and could draw comparisons to Calvin Johnson.
However, that potential is as yet unrealized.
He has the benefit of playing with LaNorris Sellers, who was highly impressive at times last year and could emerge as the top quarterback prospect in the 2026 draft. If so, there will be plenty of eyes on Harbor and he could be in a better situation than many of his peers. That said, it’s on him to take the next step and begin to realize his potential.
