Ra'Shon Harris
Encyclopedia
Ra'Shon Lamar "Sunny" Harris (born August 26, 1986 in Pittsburg, California
Pittsburg, California
Pittsburg is a city located in eastern Contra Costa County, California, the outer portion of the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area. The population was 63,264 at the 2010 census....

) is an American football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...

 defensive end he is currently a free agent in the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...

. He was drafted by the Steelers in the sixth round of the 2009 NFL Draft
2009 NFL Draft
The 2009 NFL Draft was the seventy-fourth annual meeting of National Football League franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on April 25 and 26, 2009. The draft consisted of two rounds on the first day starting at 4:00...

. He played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...

 at Oregon
Oregon Ducks football
The Oregon Ducks football program is the intercollegiate American football team for the University of Oregon located in the U.S. state of Oregon. The team competes at the NCAA Division I level in the Football Bowl Subdivision and is a member of the Pacific-12 Conference. Known as the Ducks, the...

.

Harris has also been a member of the Carolina Panthers
Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They are currently members of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Panthers, along with the Jacksonville Jaguars, joined the NFL as expansion...

.

Early years

Harris was rated among the top 50 prep prospects in California by SuperPrep magazine as well as one of the best 11 defensive linemen in the state. He was a Two-time All-Bay Valley League defender and a Two-time All-area honoree (Contra Costa Times
Contra Costa Times
The Contra Costa Times is a daily newspaper based in Walnut Creek, California, U.S.. The paper serves Contra Costa and eastern Alameda counties, in the eastern part of the San Francisco Bay Area...

) and Tacoma News Tribune Western 100 pick. As a senior he led the league in quarterback sacks (5), in addition to forcing one fumble and recovering another and completed his prep career with 15 quarterback sacks.

College years

In 2008 he was a first-year starter at the University of Oregon
University of Oregon
-Colleges and schools:The University of Oregon is organized into eight schools and colleges—six professional schools and colleges, an Arts and Sciences College and an Honors College.- School of Architecture and Allied Arts :...

 and finished year as team’s 10th-leading tackler with 47 and tops among interior linemen in tackles for lost with 9. He also had three sacks. He shared team’s top bench press pinnacle (415 lbs.) regardless of position in addition to equaling best power clean mark (341 lbs.) among team’s defensive linemen. In 2007 he played in 12 of 13 games and made 15 tackles with three for a loss. In 2006 he was expected to vie for opportunity to provide a major contribution before a torn triceps muscle during fall camp was thought to end the year before it started. He was able to return for the final six games of the season Harris was credited with a single-game high two tackles against Portland State in season debut, and logged one quarterback sack for a 10-yard loss vs. Washington. In 2005 he played all 12 games, recording no tackles and was named scout team’s defensive player of the week for aiding preparations vs. Washington. The previous season, 2004, he was recognized as scout team’s defensive player of the week for aiding preparations heading into UCLA game.

Pre-draft

Pre-draft measureables
Ht Wt 40-yard dash
40 yard dash
The 40-yard dash is a sprint covering . It is primarily run to evaluate the speed of American football players by scouts, particularly for the NFL Draft but also for collegiate recruiting. A player's recorded time in the 40 can have a heavy impact on his prospects in college or professional football...

10-yd split 20-yd split 20 ss
20 yard shuttle
The 20-yard shuttle, also simply called the short shuttle, is a test performed by American football athletes at the NFL combine. It is primarily run to evaluate the quickness and change-of-direction ability of players by scouts, particularly for the NFL Draft but also for collegiate recruiting...

3-cone
3 cone drill
The 3 cone drill, or three cone drill, is a test performed by American football athletes at the NFL combine. It is primarily run to evaluate the agility, quickness and fluidity of movement of players by scouts, particularly for the NFL Draft but also for collegiate recruiting...

Vert
Vertical jump
A vertical jump or vertical leap is the act of raising one's center of gravity higher in the vertical plane solely with the use of one's own muscles; it is a measure of how high an individual or athlete can elevate off the ground from a standstill.-Types of vertical jump:The vertical jump is...

Broad BP
Bench press
The bench press is an exercise of the upper body. For bodybuilding purposes, it is used to stimulate the pectorals, deltoids, and triceps. While on his or her back, the person performing the bench press lowers a weight to the level of the chest, then pushes it back up until the arm is straight...

Wonderlic
6-3¾ * 296 lb * 4.88 ** 1.64 ** 2.89 ** 4.66 ** 8.18 * 27 in. ** 10'10" * 28 * 14 **
* = NFL Combine. ** = Pro Day

First stint with Steelers

Harris was drafted
NFL Draft
The National Football League Draft is an annual event in which the National Football League teams select eligible college football players and it is their most common source of player recruitment. The basic design of the draft is each team is given a position in the drafting order in reverse order...

 by the Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...

 in the sixth round of the 2009 NFL Draft
2009 NFL Draft
The 2009 NFL Draft was the seventy-fourth annual meeting of National Football League franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on April 25 and 26, 2009. The draft consisted of two rounds on the first day starting at 4:00...

. He was waived during final cuts on September 4.

Carolina Panthers

Harris was claimed off waivers by the Carolina Panthers
Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They are currently members of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Panthers, along with the Jacksonville Jaguars, joined the NFL as expansion...

 on September 6, 2009. He made his regular season debut against the Atlanta Falcons
Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are a member of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...

, recording one assisted tackle. After playing two games for the Panthers, the team waived Harris on October 1 to make room for veteran defensive tackle Hollis Thomas
Hollis Thomas
Hollis Thomas, Jr. is a defensive tackle who is currently a free agent. He was signed by the Philadelphia Eagles as an undrafted free agent in 1996. He played college football at Northern Illinois....

. The Panthers re-signed Harris to the practice squad on October 3.

Second stint with Steelers

Harris was signed off the Panthers practice squad on October 14, 2009 by the Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...

, the team that drafted him. Harris replaced Aaron Smith
Aaron Smith (American football)
Aaron Douglas Smith is a professional American football player with the Pittsburgh Steelers in the National Football League. He plays left defensive end in a 3-4 defensive alignment.-Pittsburgh Steelers:...

, who went on injured reserve. He was waived on September 4, 2010.

Buffalo Bills

Harris was claimed off waivers by the Buffalo Bills
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional football team based in Buffalo, New York. They are currently members of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...

 on October 6, 2010 and placed on their practice squad.

Third stint with Steelers

The Steelers signed Harris to their practice squad on November 3, 2010 after defensive end Al Woods
Al Woods (American football)
Al Joseph Woods is an American football nose tackle for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League. He was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the fourth round of the 2010 NFL Draft...

 was signed off their practice squad by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football franchise based in Tampa, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the Southern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League – they are the only team in the division not to come from the old NFC West...

.

External links

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