What type of athlete is Percy Harvin?

[Wee-Bey]

Harvin opening the season on the IR has put a damper on his acquisition for much of the 12th man, to the point where many have questioned ever trading for him in the first place. Given the disappointment surrounding him at this juncture I thought I would make a post on how talented an athlete/player he is, and why I think once he gets on the field people will quickly get behind the type of talent he brings to the table.

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I'm a college football guy as as well as an NFL fan and so I follow a lot of prospects dating back to their days in high school. Some of the most intriguing guys to me are the ones that split as track guys, because they typically fall into two categories: football players who are sprinters, and sprinters pretending to be football players. Which brings me to Urban Meyer and his stint at Florida: he wanted the fastest team in America to better emphasize his spread attack(foreign, at the time), and so his recruiting philosophies were predicated upon attracting players of the first group. Which brings me to his #1 rated 06 recruiting class, and the crown jewel #1 rated WR and overall player Percy Harvin.

Before emerging as one of the key member and primary playmakers for the University of Florida's 06 national title team, Percy Harvin was slated to run for the track team in the spring before Urban Meyer nipped the idea. His pre-season profile read as follows:

Bests of 10.43 in 100m, 21.19 in 200m and 24-3.50 in long jump … Became first athlete in 69 years to capture five state titles at 2005 Virginia Class AAA state meet … Won 100m (10.69), 200m (21.59), long jump (23-5.50) and triple jump (47-7) … Captured 2005 Virginia Class AAA indoor title in triple jump (48-2.50) … Won 2004 state title in long jump as a sophomore with mark of 23-5.25 … Rated as the top football recruit in nation in his class by Rivals.com as a wide receiver … 2006 graduate of Landstown High School.

most people read that first line and don't realize just how talented a sprinter you have to be to record those times as a high school prospect, and Harvin was an underclassmen who ran in his spare time. The Virginia area at that time was abuzz, and for good reason. Check out where he placed nationally in 2005:

http://archive.dyestat.com/3rank/5out/dse3-june2.htm
http://archive.dyestat.com/3us/season05 ... utdoor.htm

You will also find NFL players Jacoby Ford(finished with the fastest 100m in the nation that year, but was wind aided), Trindon Holliday, Jahvid Best, and Deonte Thompson(One of his UF teammates) on the list. Percy's 10.43 non win aided 100m dash ranked 6th in the nation amongst all sprinters and 3rd amongst underclassmen. His 21.19 200m dash ranked 10th nationally, and 8th amongst underclassmen. He also posted the nations 7th longest tripple jump and 14th longest long jump that season.

Where he ranks amongst his NFL peers in 2005: Keep in mind Ford and Holliday are class 05, Harvin is class 06, and Thompson/Best 07. Holliday, Harvin, and Ford would have qualified for the 2005 NCAA 100m final with their times.

100m

Jocoby Ford - 10.32 +2.6
Percy Harvin - 10.43 nwi
Trindon Holliday - 10.47 -0.3
Jacoby Ford - 10.5 -0.4
Deonte Thompson - 10.56 +2.6

200m

Jahvid Best - 21.18 -0.3
Percy Harvin - 21.19 nwi
Jacoby Ford - 21.25 + 1.0
Trindon Holliday - 21.38 +0.3
Deonte Thompson - 21.38 +1.0
Percy Harvin - 21.59 -0.8

Ford and Holliday obviously went onto split track and football duties at Clemson and LSU respectively and are now considered two of the fastest players in the league. Neither had huge impacts on the field while in school, but became accomplished sprinters. Both are now very good return men. Thompson went to UF and had trouble getting on the field, and then catching the ball when he did. He went Undrafted to the Ravens last year, but I remember him returning a kick for a TD and having a couple solid returns last season before being replaced by Jacoby Jones. Best never ran track but had a successful career at Cal before being drafted to the Lions, and Harvin went to UF but never ran as he became one of college footballs best players.

Harvin also had tons of success with shorter distance sprints as well:

Harvin’s last track outing to date came at a district meet at Newport News on February 28. He won three events, the 55m (6.37), the long jump (22-11) and the triple jump (45-7). He also ran a leg on the winning 800m relay team. “Percy is a special athlete,” Landstown coach Thomas Anderson told reporters.

How special? Good enough in football that experts predict Harvin will pay immediate dividends for coach Urban Meyer and the Gators next fall. “He’s just an amazing athlete,” Landstown football coach Chris Beatty told the Tampa Tribune. “watching Percy operate, it looks like he’s playing a video game.”

In track, it’s likely Harvin hasn’t yet reached his full potential. “That 6.37 [at the district meet] came in his first and only meet this season,” said Nike Indoor Nationals meet director Jim Spier. “He’s highly regarded as a football player, and he’s pretty good in basketball, too. But who knows what he’s capable of in track?

http://archive.dyestat.com/3us/6in/NIN/ ... ature.html

Harvin's 6.37 55 meter to start his senior track season(before suspension) was 2nd fastest time ever recorded at the the Landover, Maryland Nike facility behind only Olympic meadlist and sprinting prodigy Leshawn Merit, who posted a 6.33 two years prior. Randy Moss, his redshirt sophomore year at Marshall, broke their 55m dash record with a time of 6.32.[/quote]

To even better conceptualize what kind of track prospect Percy Harvin was I give you the Virginia Beach legend of he and Charles Clark, whom he has carried out a rivalry with Dating back to middle school. Who is Charles Clark you might ask? Well, this is Charles Clark:

Charles Clark | College: Florida State ‘10

Charles Clark participated with The Va Beach Flames Track team receiving All American honors in Sprints. He was one of the hardest working athletes we had ever seen. He was determined to become an Olympic runner. 2009 NCAA Outdoor 200m champion; 2nd at 2009 USA Outdoor Champs; 6th at World Outdoor Champs; 2nd at 2009 USA Outdoor Champs; 10-time NCAA All-American. Despite lining up in lane 8 in the 200m final at the 2009 USA Outdoor Championships, Florida State University junior Charles Clark ran the race of his life in finishing second in a personal best time under any conditions of 20.00w seconds, which qualified him for the 2009 World Outdoor Championships in Berlin. When he crossed the finish line Clark had no idea where he finished in a race that was ultra-competitive with the top five places decided by 9/100ths of a second. In Berlin, Clark set his personal best of 20.27 in the semifinals before finishing sixth in the final in 20.39. The 2006 Virginia state 55m champion, Clark was named the Virginia Beach Athlete of the Year and ended his prep career as a 13-time All-State selection.

The first member of his family to attend college, Clark majors in Sports Management at Florida State. 2009: 2nd at USA Outdoors (20.00w); 6th at World Outdoors (20.39); 3rd at World Outdoor semifinal (20.27PR); NCAA Outdoor 200m champ (20.55)…NCAA 4x400m relay champ (2:59.99)- ranked #8 in world, #5 U.S. by T&FN -best of 20.27. 2008: 5th at Olympic Trials (20.53); 8th at NCAA Outdoors (22.36); 2nd at NCAA Indoors (20.50); ACC Indoor 400m champ (47.77); 2nd at NCAA East Regional (20.22)…ACC Outdoor 200m champ (20.59)…ranked #8 in U.S. by T&FN; best of 20.22. 2007: 9th at NCAA Outdoors (27.57); NCAA Outdoor 4x100m relay champ (38.60); 5th in prelims at USA Outdoors (21.36); 4th at NCAA Indoors (20.75); best of 20.38. 2006: 1st at National Scholastic Champs; best of 20.92.2005: 4th at National Scholastic Champs…best of 21.21. 2004: Best of 21.42.

http://vabeachflames.com/some-dude/

Charles Clark is an Olympian. But who was he before he left Virginia Bech to attend Florida State and become a decorated sprinter, and what connection does he have to Percy Harvin? Check this out:

The name Charles Clark, for example, still brings chuckles in Virginia Beach. Clark was a nationally recognized track star at Bayside High School in Virginia Beach and destined for greatness at Florida State. So in 2005, his 200-meter defeat of Harvin in a preliminary heat at the district meet was not a major upset. But Clark’s cocky glance backward near the finish line lit Harvin’s wick. He would not be embarrassed.

For the next showdown, Harvin asked if Landstown could wear their black-on-black uniforms.

“Black-on-black meant it was a war,” Anderson said. “Charles’ antics brought out the beast in Percy.”

Predictably, Harvin blazed past Clark in the rematch.

http://m.startribune.com/sports/?id=199709431

But track and basketball, the Michael Jordan and Allen Iverson posters in his room aside, are hobbies for Harvin. He has neither the time nor inclination to prepare seriously and competes primarily to help his friends win championships.

Still, don't mess with him. At last spring's Beach District track meet, Bayside's Charles Clark defeated Harvin in a 100-meter semifinal and looked back over his shoulder while doing so. Incensed by the perceived slight, Harvin buried Clark in the final with a personal-best time of 10.43 seconds, a mark that would have qualified Harvin for the final of the NCAA Division I championships.

Football is different. Football is Harvin's future, a future for which he trains and plans daily.

http://articles.dailypress.com/2005-10- ... practice/3

And Harvin's take?

“When I was suspended I kind of looked at it as a blessing,” he said. “I got to sit out and get healthy and get ready to come here. I got healthy and I got strong. It kind of didn’t hurt me.”

Looking back the only regret he has is not going head to head with Charles Clark at the state track meet.

“That was tough because there was a dude Charles Clark from Bayside,” said Harvin. “We competed against each other since middle school and he hadn’t beaten me yet. This was the year he was supposed to beat me but I don’t know why people thought that. He’s a real mouthy person. He finally got his gold medals because I didn’t run.”

But the record of five is still safe and it still belongs to Harvin.

“He only got three,” Harvin says with a smile.

http://www.gatorcountry.com/interim/art ... ople_miss/

With Percy Harvin suspended from competition in 06, Charles Clark went on to win three gold medals at the state meet with times of 10.51 in the 100m and 21.47 in the 200m. Clark chose Florida State where he competed in track, Harvin chose Florida where he competed in football.

My point? Percy Harvin was one of those rare athletes that could have done pretty much done whatever he liked. Once upon a time, before becoming a stud for the University of Florida and later the Vikings, he was an elite sprinter with Olympic potential. He has legit, verifiable world class speed.

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Analysis of how he was used in Minnesota:

In 2010 with Bevell, 18 percent of Harvin’s targets came behind the line of scrimmage. That increased to 40 percent in 2012. In 2010, Harvin saw 14 percent of his targets 20+ yards down the field and that mark dropped to 6 percent in 2012. This is a direct reflection of the quarterback’s ability to get the ball down the field. In 2010, Brett Favre was able to complete 15-of-46 passes from 20+ (36.2 percent). In that same year with Favre, Harvin did most of his damage over the middle of the field with 38 receptions (53.5 percent of total receptions) for 556 yards (64 percent of yards) and a large amount behind the line of scrimmage with 17 catches for 120 yards. In 2012, Harvin had 47 percent of his catches and 41 percent of his total yards come from behind the line of scrimmage. This may be a direct reflection of his quarterback’s arm strength and ability to get the ball down the field. The Vikings ability to utilize Harvin in the backfield while Adrian Peterson worked himself back into the mix may have also played a role.

https://www.profootballfocus.com/blog/2 ... -nfc-west/

This is the one that is not like the others, because the Vikings don’t actually do much of this at all, but they should. For some reason Minnesota doesn’t believe it has a viable deep threat. Ponder’s average depth of target is the worst in the NFL amongst starters at just 6.3 yards, and though much of that is manufacturing touches for Harvin, they just don’t have confidence in any of their receivers going deep. When Jerome Simpson returned from his suspension they took three deep shots at him in that game. He wasn’t open once, and was lucky to get a pair of pass interference penalties, but the point is that for some reason the Vikings do have some confidence in Simpson as their viable deep threat.

The silly thing about it is that their best deep threat is also their best receiver in all other areas; Percy Harvin, but they’re just not taking advantage of it. He has the kind of speed and acceleration that defenses can’t live with, and that holds true deep just as much as it does underneath.

https://www.profootballfocus.com/blog/2 ... -week-5-2/

Specifically, a scouting report on Harvin would include the fact that he has some of the best short-area quickness in the NFL, extraordinary vision, both of the field and the ball in the air, patience to set up blocks, excellent hip wiggle, an ability to sink hips when necessary (in route and while in pursuit), very precise footwork in routes, efficient movement at the stem, the ability to set up defensive backs (he doesn't give his routes away with a shoulder lean, a look or his hips), burst in and out of cuts and surprising strength for his size.

With all of that comes the intuitive talent one needs to consistently beat defensive backs to the ball. Not only does he possess a wide variety of subtle moves in-route to create separation, he has a good nose for where to go where he needs to. Often asked to run unusual routes with the Vikings, Harvin would often run with precision despite being asked to play without traditional receiver landmarks; he would have to break before he reached seven yards (like in the route below):

The former Gator has a good sense of where the weaknesses of zones are and can sit in them if need be—a big part of the reason the Vikings were better against zone coverage than man coverage.

He has a number of weaknesses to his game as well. He will fight for the ball, but despite his strength won't win as often as he'll lose—without extending his arms completely, he limits his opportunities. He also has a somewhat smaller route tree than many top-tier receivers, although not by much. He needs more moves at the line of scrimmage on the release, although his strength and quickness serve him well.

His size limits his opportunities to be a jump-ball receiver, and despite the highlight above of catching a fade route, he can't really be asked to be the one who catches in the corner of the end zone. For some time, Musgrave (erroneously) kept him out of the red zone packages, and its true that he doesn't do as well in traffic as you would want. Despite a good vertical leap (37.5 inches), he just doesn't possess the capability to outmuscle and outleap defensive backs for the ball.

The bottom line is that there isn't a running back in the league who is better at running routes and playing the receiver, nor is there a receiver in the league who is better at running the ball. Not just an elite playmaker, Harvin is a unique talent. His talents don't just mean you have a running back and a receiver. The synergy of his talents creates rare opportunities that simply having a good running back or a good receiver don't provide.

Enjoy your gift, Field Gulls.

http://www.fieldgulls.com/2013/3/18/411 ... -do-you-do

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All in all, I think the Seahawks landed one of the most talented players in the league, and I cannot wait to see what type of impact he makes on this offense.

 

[cacksman]

Sweet! As an ex collegiate track runner, I know how ridiculous those times are. When you take into account that track was pretty much an afterthought for him, it becomes even more unbelievable.

I CANNOT WAIT

 

[-The Glove-]

Man, thanks for all of that. That's incredible how talented he was as a part time runner. Unbelievable, honestly. With RW, I hope we see more shots down the field for Percy. He certainly has the arm to get it to him

 

[HawkFanNC]

That was a good read. Thank you for the in-depth write up about an amazing athlete.

 

[formido]

Harvin is the walking talking embodiment of Seattle's offensive philosophy to optimize for big plays. He is the perfect player for our team. Normally Carroll energetically whitewashes any setback, but he couldn't contain his frustration with losing Harvin.