He scored 28 touchdowns receiving and three rushing, giving him a four-year total of 44."There was no point in continuing," Grautski said.When Harris first signed with the Saints, he sent a text message to his coaches. The undrafted rookie rarely takes the field on offense, but he's made quite an impact as a returner with 23.8 yards per kick return and 9.7 yards per punt return, ranking seventh and fifth in the league, respectively. So far, they've been right."You could sense it in the stadium," said Canan, who now coaches special teams and tight ends at the College of Holy Cross, also in Worcester. Deonte Harris has been a revelation for the Saints in 2019 despite his overlooked pedigree as a NCAA record-setter out of Assumption College (a small liberal arts school in Worcester, Mass.). Taysom Hill and Ted Ginn should fill in returning kicks.CBS Sports is a registered trademark of CBS Broadcasting Inc.Harris logged a trio of limited practices this week. So far, they've been right.Ultimately, his other two offers out of high school came from FCS-level Rhode Island and Towson. While at a Pro Day hosted by Harvard in the spring, Harris posted a 4.35-second time in the 40-yard dash. Offensive players getting ready to step on the field also made sure they could see what Harris would do next. Coaches also found ways to get him the ball on offense. Bench Reps: Vertical Jump: Broad Jump: 20 Yrd Shuttle: 3-Cone Drill: Dates: 03/21/19 Hand: 08 3/4 Arm: 28 1/4 Wingspan: 69 3/4 Height: 5063 Weight: 171 40 Yrd Dash: 4.48 20 Yrd Dash: 2.50 10 Yrd Dash: 1.51: 225 Lb. Assumption has been with me since the spring.”\u201CWe would try to get him the ball as quickly and as often as possible,\u201D Grant said. "We went out there for punt rush or punt block or whatever you want to call it, and everyone in the stadium knew that if the ball got near him, they were going to witness something special."\\\"It looks like he\u2019s going to break one twice a game,\\\" said Ashton Grant, the punt returner at Assumption before Harris took the job from him as a freshman in 2015.While at a Pro Day hosted by Harvard in the spring, Harris posted a 4.35-second time in the 40-yard dash. “He made nine guys miss.”The New Orleans Saints announce the signings of C Cesar Ruiz, LB Zack Bau, TE Adam Trautman, and QB Tommy Stevens to four-year contracts.Harris made an immediate impact as the Northeast-10 Conference rookie of the year. Assumption has been with me since the spring.\u201DThe kickoff Drew Canan remembered best was the first one Deonte Harris returned for a touchdown. But because Sherels has been inactive since before the first preseason game, Harris has emerged as a possible 53-man roster favorite. He could have stayed in his Baltimore hometown and attended Towson, but \u201Chis mom wanted him out of Baltimore,\u201D said former Assumption strength and conditioning coach Chris Grautski.Another memorable kickoff came when upback Dylan Oxsen faked a lateral toward Harris and caused all 11 defenders to drift in his direction as Oxsen ran 64 yards to score in 2016 against New Haven.On one memorable kickoff, Harris received a lateral at the 20 after an attempted squib kick and took it for a touchdown in a 2017 playoff win against Findley. That was one of two kickoff return touchdowns by Harris in that game. But the first punt Harris returned in college went 89 yards for a touchdown, and from that point forward, Grant gladly let Harris have the job. Assumption recruited the diminutive Harris as an overlooked running back from Baltimore Archbishop Curley, which Harris helped to an undefeated record and a Maryland state championship his senior season. Ultimately, his other two offers out of high school came from FCS-level Rhode Island and Towson. The 21-year-old has three grabs for 10 yards on the season but typically makes his biggest impact as a kick and punt returner.Harris returns after a two-game absence. With that speed, Harris has returned five punts for an average of 11 yards and five kickoffs for an average of 28 yards. From that point forward, everybody who knew him in college figured it would only be a matter of time before he made a strong impression in the NFL.“We would try to get him the ball as quickly and as often as possible,” Grant said. Two straight missed practices due to a leg injury is never a good sign for a returner.
He also scored touchdowns on a pair of long pass receptions -- all four touchdowns coming in a second-half comeback from down 10-3 at halftime to win 45-26.Saints coach Sean Payton said Harris has done "some things that are encouraging," but the position battle "is not crystal clear right now."With Harris, they always knew something special was about to happen. video Listed on the play-call sheet below his college uniform No. Age: 22. Two-time Pro Bowl tight end Jared Cook interviews first time Pro Bowl receiver and New Orleans Saints teammate Deonte Harris about his experience at the 2020 Pro Bowl in Orlando, Florida. Harris will need to put in at least limited work Friday in order to be considered a better bet to play.Harris hasn't practiced over the last two weeks and missed those respective games, so the fact he was expected to practice Monday indicates at least some progress. Bench Reps: 10 Vertical Jump: 33 If he were forced to miss any time, Taysom Hill and Alvin Kamara would take over fielding kick and punt returns, respectively.Harris played nine snaps on offense, one more than he saw on special teams.