Eli Harold Drafted By San Francisco 49ers

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Eli Harold became the 41st Cavalier selected in the first three rounds of the NFL Draft. ~ Ashley Thornton/aft Photography

Virginia defensive end Eli Harold extended the program’s 32-year streak in the NFL Draft on Friday night. The San Francisco 49ers selected Harold with the 79th overall pick in the third round.

That selection made Harold the 13th Cavalier ever drafted in the third round and the first since Morgan Moses in 2014. Harold is one of 41 UVa players ever selected in the first three rounds of the NFL Draft. He joins UVa linebacker Ahmad Brooks with the 49ers. Brooks was a third round pick in 2006 of the Cincinnati Bengals.

“I’m surprised he’s lasted this long,” the NFL Network’s Mike Mayock said during the draft telecast. “He’s a natural 3-4 outside linebacker, which fits in with what Eric Mangini wants to do. Ability to bend and flatten to the quarterback. Very surprised he lasted this long.”

The NFL Network’s Charles Davis said Harold was a “perfect fit” for the 49ers.

Harold finished his Virginia career among the program’s all-time best in sacks and tackles for loss. He tallied 17.5 sacks, good enough for 11th on the career charts, and 36.5 tackles for loss, good enough for 10th on the career charts. Harold also improved his tackle totals in each of his three seasons in Charlottesville. He posted 36 tackles as a true freshman, 51 as a sophomore, and 54 as a junior.

Harold’s production really picked up with the switch to Jon Tenuta at defensive coordinator before his sophomore season. Tenuta’s aggressive, attack-minded style up front allowed Harold to play to his strengths. For example, Harold’s explosive first step and good speed around the edge fit perfectly with Tenuta’s desire to pressure the pocket.

Last season, Tenuta even tinkered with Harold’s versatility by allowing him to stand up in a two-point stance at the line of scrimmage at times. That’s something that helped NFL teams evaluate Harold as a potential linebacker in a 3-4 defense or as a defensive end in some schemes. NFL.com evaluated that versatility as a net positive before the draft, stating that “Harold’s burst upfield to threaten the edge is pro caliber and his ability to bend the corner at a 45-degree angle creates potential for him to become a quality pass rusher from either outside linebacker spot in a 3-4.” Harold continued to work on his play in space and speed with personal trainer Tom Shaw in preparation for the draft.

Harold has a chance to showcase that versatility with the 49ers. He said the moment his NFL dreams came true was incredible.

“I saw it was a Cali number and it felt surreal,” Harold said according to the 49ers Twitter feed. “To be able to share this moment with my family, it’s incredible.”

Bill Dudley (Pittsburgh 1942), Gene Schroeder (Chicago 1951), Tom Glassic (Denver 1976), Jim Dombrowski (New Orleans 1986), Jeff Lageman (New York Jets 1989), Herman Moore (Detroit 1991), Ray Roberts (Seattle 1992), James Farrior (New York Jets 1997), Jon Harris (Philadelphia 1997), Patrick Kerney (Atlanta 1999), Thomas Jones (Arizona 2000), Heath Miller (Pittsburgh 2005), D’Brickashaw Ferguson (New York Jets 2006), Chris Long (St. Louis 2008), Branden Albert (Kansas City 2008), and Eugene Monroe (Jacksonville 2009) are the 16 first-round picks in school history.

Bob Davis (Houston 1967), Mike Ozdowski (Baltimore 1977), Lester Lyles (New York Jets 1985), John Ford (Detroit 1989), Matt Blundin (Kansas City 1992), Chris Slade (New England 1993), Jamie Sharper (Baltimore 1997), Tiki Barber (New York Giants 1997), Germane Crowell (Detroit 1998), Clint Sintim (New York Giants 2009), Chris Cook (Minnesota 2010), and Ras-I Dowling (New England 2011) are the 12 second-round picks in school history.

Barry Word (New Orleans 1986), Terry Kirby (Miami 1993), Keith Lyle (Los Angeles Rams 1994), Mike Frederick (Cleveland 1995), Ronde Barber (Tampa Bay 1997), John St. Clair (St. Louis 2000), Angelo Crowell (Buffalo 2003), Billy McMullen (Philadelphia 2003), Matt Schaub (Atlanta 2004), Darryl Blackstock (Arizona 2005), Ahmad Brooks (Cincinnati 2006), Morgan Moses (Washington 2014), and Harold are the 13 third-round picks in school history.

Harold’s draft night reaction can be seen on Virginia Sports TV below.