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Miami Dolphins Select Missouri Tigers DE Charles Harris in NFL Draft

By Patrick Karraker

Mar 4, 2017; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Missouri defensive end Charles Harris speaks to the media during the 2017 combine at Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 4, 2017; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Missouri defensive end Charles Harris speaks to the media during the 2017 combine at Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports /
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Charles Harris becomes the latest Missouri Tigers defensive end to be selected early in the NFL Draft.

Even after a rough 4-8 season, the Missouri Tigers continue to churn out talented NFL players. The Miami Dolphins selected Mizzou defensive end Charles Harris with the 22nd overall pick in the NFL Draft on Thursday night, making him the eighth first-rounder out of Mizzou since 2009, when the Philadelphia Eagles’ selection of Jeremy Maclin firmly reestablished Mizzou as a reliable producer of NFL talent.

Harris, a 6-foot-3, 253-pounder out of Lincoln Prep in Kansas City, collected nine sacks and 12 tackles for loss during his junior season in 2016, following up on a fantastic 2015 campaign during which he picked up seven sacks and an SEC-leading 18.5 tackles for loss.

Harris will be able to play his familiar position with the Dolphins, as they currently employ an attacking 4-3 defense. Harris, a former basketball player, surely would have had the athletic ability to play linebacker in a 3-4 and prepared to do so during the pre-draft process, but for the purpose of minimizing risks, it’s a good thing that he’ll be able to play his natural role.

Next: Mizzou's Michael Scherer Generating NFL Interest

Harris is the latest Mizzou defensive end to go on to an NFL career, following guys like Shane Ray, Markus Golden, Kony Ealy, and Jacquies Smith. All of those players have had pretty impressive NFL careers to this point, so the Dolphins can have a fair amount of confidence in the belief that Harris will excel at the NFL level.

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