2025 NFL Draft Scouting Report: RJ Harvey

Harvey completed every test at the NFL Combine except the three-cone test. He scored a strong relative athletic score of 8.40 out of 10, which can change as official results finalize and pro days occur.

Background:

Coming out of high school in Orlando, Florida, RJ Harvey was a three-star recruit. He was the class's #52 ranked dual-threat quarterback. In 2019, he enrolled at Virginia after receiving offers from Georgia Tech, North Carolina, Appalachian State, Syracuse, and UCF.

Harvey redshirted his first and only year at Virginia, transferring to UCF for his second season. He decided to change his position to running back upon his arrival at UCF. He played sparingly in 2020 and was sidelined by a torn ACL in 2021.

Over his final 3 years at UFC, Harvey accumulated 3,789 rush yards, 720 receiving yards, 47 touchdowns, and seven fumbles across 634 touches. He racked up numerous accolades in his time with the Knights.

• 2019: Redshirt
• 2020: Deans List
• 2021: Deans List
• 2022: Second-team All-AAC (PFN), third-team All-AAC (Steele, PFF)
• 2023: Honorable mention All-Big 12 (Coaches)
• 2024: Third-team All-American (AP, Steele), first-team All-Big 12 (Coaches, Steele, CFN), Big 12 rushing leader

Amongst 161 FBS running backs with at least 100 carries in 2024, Harvey had the 21st-best overall PFF grade, the 14th-best rushing grade, and the 67th-best receiving grade. His elusiveness rating of 122.2 ranked 19th, and his yards after contact per attempt ranked 31st.

Strengths:

• Lateral Burst: Harvey is a sudden lateral athlete who Possesses strong short-area burst to make people miss.
• Pinball Runner: He consistently breaks through and bounces off arm tackles with impressive contact balance, a thick lower half, and a low center of gravity.
• Creative Vision: Harvey is a patient runner who uses eyes, body, and angles well to disguise intentions and set up blocks. He has a good feel for the timing of outside rushing lanes.
• Elusive: He is a slippery runner who does a good job eliminating tackling angles and hitting the gas to close space. Due to his fluid hip movement, he doesn't get hit square very often.
• Passing Downs: Flashes grit and desire as a lead blocker and can be a weapon with the football in his hands.

Weaknesses:

• Breakaway Speed: Despite his excellent 40 time, Harvey's tape lacks a 4th gear to break away from NFL defenders at the 2nd level. He lacks the speed on tape to get wide and turn the corner on horizontal runs.
• Patience: Harvey is often too patient to get downhill on inside runs. He tends to get happy feet in the backfield, pressing the inside gaps for too long before bouncing outside or planting his foot, dropping his pads, and getting downhill.
• Passing Downs: Despite showing some grit and upside with the ball in his hands, Harvey offers very little in the passing game currently. He seems indecisive as a route runner and in pass protection, with five drops on 78 career targets.
• Size, Age, and Development: Still raw in certain aspects of the position, but he turned 24 years old in February. His size could limit his ceiling in pass protection.

Final Thoughts and Bears Fit for RJ Harvey:

I am a sucker for runners like Harvey. His lateral juice, jump cuts, and pinball running ability can ignite an offense. It is easy to get out over your skis when evaluating a player like Harvey because of how fun his best moments are. But it is important that we think through the negatives of his profile as well.

Harvey is a dynamic runner with excellent lateral burst, contact balance, and creative vision, allowing him to make defenders miss and maximize rushing lanes. His slippery running style and ability to shed arm tackles make him a tough player to bring down. However, his lack of true breakaway speed (on tape) limits his ability to outrun defenders at the second level, and his over-patience on inside runs can stall plays. Additionally, he remains raw as a route runner and pass protector, with inconsistencies in both areas. At 24 years old, his developmental upside may be somewhat capped.

I have a "Starter" grade on Harvey. His ceiling approaches that of a "Key Contributor" running back, with his floor being that of a rotational backup. At the least, teams know that Harvey should be a reliable early down back, but the question is whether his size and pass-down skills limit his workload. While I think Harvey has enough bulk to play a significant role in an offense, it is a valid question.

Harvey should be in play for the Bears and Ben Johnson's offense in the third round. His skill set would fit as an early-down runner with D'Andre Swift taking a bigger role on passing downs. I think the Bears will target a runner who offers more upside on passing downs, but would be thrilled to see Harvey's electric running added to the Bears roster.

(Lofty) Ceiling Pro Comp: Maurice Jones-Drew

Most Likely Pro Comp: Jaylen Warren