North Carolina State University Athletics
Harrison Excited About Playing For Redsksins
4/19/2000 12:00:00 AM | Football
When he was a kid growing up in Floral Park, New York, Lloyd Harrison was a fan of the San Francisco Forty-Niners. But the former NC State cornerback didn't hesitate to change allegiances when the Washington Redskins made him the 64th overall pick in the April 15 National Football League Draft.
"I had no clue who was going to pick me going into it," Harrison said. "Some teams showed more interest than others, but I'm not the kind of person to get hyped up over things like that because I know how quickly you can come back down to reality."
The Redskins feel as though they got a steal when Harrison was still available in the third round. On its draft board, Washington had him ranked as a late first round pick. Perhaps some teams were turned away by a slow 40-time Harrison ran at the NFL Combine in February. But a few weeks later, a handful of scouts got an eyeful when the first team All-ACC performer ran the 40 in 4.28 seconds during an individual workout on the NC State campus.
The Redskins were among the teams that were represented that day.
Washington has seemingly been in the right place at the right time the last few years. Thanks to some shrewd personnel moves made mostly by former general manager Charlie Casserly, the Redskins, who won the NFC's Eastern Division crown last season, had the second and third overall picks in this year's draft.
With their first pick, they took Penn State All-America linebacker LaVar Arrington. Another All-American, Alabama offensive tackle Chris Samuals, was next in line. Then came Harrison in the third round.
"They (the Redskins) made a lot of progress during the off-season," Harrison said. "I feel tremendously fortunate to be going to a team that has a chance to win the NFC."
Along with their impressive array of draft picks, the Redskins also went out and signed some big name free agents during the off-season. Former Bills defensive end Bruce Smith, ex-Lions safety Mark Carrier and veteran quarterback Jeff George will all be wearing the Burgundy and Gold next season.
One of the old faces that still remains in Washington is that of Darrell Green. The sure to be Hall of Fame cornerback has 17-years of experience he'll be able to share with a certain rookie who's eager to learn some of the tricks of the trade.
"I'm going to ask a lot of questions and try to mirror what he's done because he's done it for so long," said Harrison, who picked off a total of 12 passes in his last two years with the Wolfpack. "He knows what it takes to stay in the NFL. He's in his upper 30's and he still runs a 4.3 (40). That's impressive to anybody who plays cornerback."
Harrison and Tony Scott made up one of the ACC's best corner combinations the last two years. Without them, the Wolfpack will be forced to fill the void with some very young and inexperienced players next fall.
"I haven't really seen a situation like this where the corners they're going to put on the field have no experience," Harrison said. "The most experienced guy out there is Anthony Cason. I know J.J. Washington is very talented. I know he can play the position. They're all working hard and they're in a system that will force them to excel."
Scott, who played opposite Harrison on the other side the last two seasons, was drafted by the New York Jets. Harrison thinks his old teammate will succeed-but he also has some words of warning: "I think he has a great chance. New York is a great football town. I grew up having to deal with those crazy Jets fans so I know what it's like. They either love you a lot or hate you a lot. He's going to have to be careful, but I'm sure he'll be prepared for it."
If Harrison doesn't know it yet, he'll soon find out. Washington is also a crazy sports town, especially during football season. When the Redskins are winning, nothing else matters in D.C. It appears that Lloyd Harrison is going to the right team at the right time.
