Denver Broncos cornerback Chris Harris (25) reacts after making an interception as free safety Rahim Moore (26) and strong safety Mike Adams, left, watch during the second half of an NFL football game against the San Diego Chargers, Monday, Oct. 15, 2012, in San Diego. The Broncos won 35-24. (AP Photo/Denis Poroy)

Denver Broncos cornerback Chris Harris (25) reacts after making an interception as free safety Rahim Moore (26) and strong safety Mike Adams, left, watch during the second half of an NFL football game against the San Diego Chargers, Monday, Oct. 15, 2012, in San Diego. The Broncos won 35-24. (AP Photo/Denis Poroy)

Sure the NFL season remains several months down the road and, yeah, most of the pro football news of late has been about the recent NFL Draft or Tom Brady and Deflategate, but it’s not every day that a former Kansas University football player gets tapped as the fourth best player in all of football so we might as well talk about it.

That day came Tuesday, when Pro Football Focus, one of the top resources for NFL analytics, dubbed former Jayhawk Chris Harris as the No. 4 ranked player in the Pro Football Focus 101 of 2014.

Harris, a native of Bixby, Oklahoma, who is about to enter his fifth season with the Denver Broncos, was one of the top cornerbacks in the league last season.

If the season Darrelle Revis had in
2009 was the single best year we have
seen from a cornerback in the PFF era
– and it was – then Harris in 2014 got
as close to it as anybody has come,
and did it despite tearing his ACL in
the playoffs the previous year. He
came into this year just eight months
removed from that injury and yet
finished the season with a monster
coverage grade and statistics that
rivaled anybody.

Here are some of those statistics:

Harris was thrown at 89 times and did not allow a single touchdown.

• Harris allowed 46 receptions (51.7 percent) but gave up an average of just 7.7 yards per catch.

• Harris was not beaten for a pass longer than 22 yards all season.

• Harris finished with 3 interceptions and 10 passes defended.

• When opposing QBs threw Harris’ way, they finished with a 47.8 passer rating.

According to PFF, those raw coverage numbers rank pretty close to Seattle stud Richard Sherman (the other cornerback in the Top 10) and are made all the more impressive given that Harris lines up all over the field, left side, right side, slot, nickel.

Although his numbers and the praise he receives from players, coaches and analysts throughout the league certainly put Harris in the elite players at his position, Pro Football Focus believes that Harris’ old school mentality, which favors hard work over flash, may be keeping him from being thought of in the same regard as Sherman, Revis or others like him in the past.

Harris has never been used as
creatively as Rex Ryan or Bill
Belichick used Revis, and he isn’t the
masterful self-promoter that Sherman
is. He sticks to the old attitude of
letting his play do the talking.
Unfortunately, in today’s NFL, that
doesn’t necessarily get you ahead, and
Harris’ understated excellence hasn’t
been enough to get him the recognition
he deserves. Last season he was truly
excellent. Better than Darrelle Revis.
Better than Richard Sherman. Better
than Joe Haden, Patrick Peterson or
any other cornerback that has been in
the conversation for best in the
league.

Knowing Harris like I do, these are the things that drive him. He likes knowing that people still doubt him and loves going out there and proving everybody wrong. More than that, though, he just wants to win. He gladly would give up all of the stats and recognition for a ring and now that he has that hefty new contract and some financial security for his family’s future, the only thing on his mind from here on out will be delivering a championship back to Denver.

Seasons like 2014, as hard as they might be to duplicate, certainly help and you can bet Harris will be looking to top those numbers when things get crackin’ this fall.

photo by: Nick Krug

As a four-year starter for the Jayhawks, senior cornerback Chris Harris has seen the highs and lows of the football program. His freshman year culminated in an Orange Bowl victory. In his senior year, the team is 2-6 going into today’s home game against Colorado.