Ramone Harewood, OT

Harewood is an engineering student with just four seasons of football experience. He was born and raised in Barbados, the Caribbean island nation that is only 166 square miles, with a population of about 280,000. He competed in rugby, cricket and volleyball and had never even seen a football game until he came to the United States.

The lineman was a member of the junior national teams in rugby, volleyball and track and field. British colleges even pursued him to play for their rugby squads. But, in his senior year in high school, he attended a college fair and met an Atlanta area track coach, Michael Grant, who brought his students to the event.

The two struck up a conversation and remained in contact throughout 2004. "I'm looking at him from a recruiting standpoint going, 'Oh, my god," Grant recalls. Harewood chose to enroll at the University of West Indies to study engineering. But not long into his first term, he had a change of heart.

Grant had accepted a position as an assistant coach for the Morehouse College football team. One day, the coach heard back from the player he befriended. "I just decided to call (Grant) one day and that was it," Harewood stated. He was accepted for the 2006 spring term and received an academic scholarship.

"When the opportunity arose for me to at least come over here and get a good education, even if I didn't get to play sports, it would have been better," said Harewood, whose only experience with football to that point had been watching it on television. He would eventually become one of the best players to ever suit up for the school and compete in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.

After learning the game from the sidelines, Harwood finally got an opportunity to play in the final two contests of the 2006 campaign - as a defensive lineman. He posted seven tackles with a stop behind the line of scrimmage as a raw freshman.

Harewood proved to be a quick learner, befitting his 3.0-plus grade point average in Applied Physics and Engineering. "I don't think it's been too hard to learn, to be honest with you," he said. "Sometimes it got confusing, like dealing with different defenses, but it's never been too hard."

Even after he switched to the offensive side of the ball in 2007, the Maroon Tigers' new right tackle had a solid campaign, producing 63 knockdowns to go with seven touchdown-resulting blocks. That performance earned him All-SIAC second-team honors, as he led the squad to a 7-3 record. He also made two tackles and blocked a punt.

Harewood was named to the All-SIAC first-team as a junior and senior. In 2008, the ground game was virtually non-existent, as Morehouse gained just 418 yards, but the right tackle was credited with 92 knockdowns and 10 touchdown-resulting blocks while honing his pass protection skills.

Harewood added All-American honors as a senior. He moved to left tackle, where he delivered 15 touchdown-resulting blocks for an offense that generated 3,077 yards while finishing with a 7-3 record.

"Ramon's definitely a bona fide NFL prospect," said Morehouse coach Rich Freeman. The coach said that almost every NFL team sent a scout to the school last fall. "We're blessed to have him, glad to have him," said athletics director Andre Pattillo. "He's the prototype of the student-athlete that we wish we could get on a consistent basis."

Positives: Has a massive frame, with a wide waist and hips, thick, tree-trunk legs, long arms, large and powerful hands, thick chest and broad shoulders … Despite his body mass, he is by no means overweight, as he has good frame distribution and tight skin … Plays on his feet and has the functional speed to get out in front on short pulls and traps … Lacks explosion off the ball, but knows how to use his body mass and above average strength to move defenders off the snap … Despite his frame thickness, he plays with good knee bend and comes off the ball with good initial quickness … When playing in a zone blocking offense, he does a good job of working defenders on angles … Does show very good pop and ability to sustain, thanks to his strength at the point of attack … When he locks on to a defender, he is quick to control and stalemate his man … Uses his hands well to keep defenders off his body and has the hand power to latch on, pull and jerk his man away from the ball … Needs to improve his hand punch, but is capable of using his long arms to extend and lock … Outstanding run blocker who moves his feet on contact and has enough quickness to reach block, doing a nice job of wheeling his hips to control … Takes good angles to compensate for a lack of second-level speed and consistently finishes … Does a great job of using his size to occupy space and when he gets his pads down and drops his weight to anchor, it is impossible to move him out … Won't punish you with his hand punch, but shows very good placement to gain position and control … Has enough lateral slide to play in a phone booth and uses his body well to engulf the smaller defenders.

Negatives: Has had weight issues in the past, but has worked hard to keep it under 360 pounds the last two years … Dominant drive blocker, but his motor runs hot and cold, as he does wear down late in games … Lacks the quickness and acceleration to get out front on second-level blocks … Gets too narrow in his base and crosses his feet when trying to adjust when working in space, failing to cut off the linebackers at the next level … Has experience at tackle, but is best working in-line, as he does not have the retreat quickness to mirror vs. edge rushers … Has very good upper-body strength, but needs to punish the defender more with his punch … Labors when having to run long distances … Effective at using his hands, but doesn't have a real strong punch and can be a little high in short-yardage situations … Has adequate lateral quickness to work the defender down the line of scrimmage, but at times he can be slow cutting of backside penetration … Sets tight to the line of scrimmage and has to turn his shoulder early, but his quickness to slide the circle vs. a wide edge rush is poor and be does show some problems with his balance when having to run long distances.

Compares To: PHIL LOADHOLT, Minnesota -- Harewood is not as advanced as Loadholt, but is a smart player who is like a sponge absorbing everything the coaches toss at him. He will need a patient mentor to help him develop and must get on a better training program, but of all the small college offensive linemen to come out in recent years, he is worth the risk.

--Dave-Te' Thomas

Harewood started the last 30 games - 20 at right tackle and 10 on the left side … Collected 262 knockdowns/key blocks and 32 touchdown-resulting blocks since moving into the lineup.

Earned All-American third-team honors from The NFL Draft Report and was named to the All-Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference first-team, the third consecutive season he received postseason league honors … Shifted to left tackle, coming up with 107 knockdowns/key blocks for an offense that scored 25 touchdowns and averaged 307.7 yards and 26.9 points per game, en route to a 7-3 record.

Harewood started all ten games at right offensive tackle, earning All-SIAC first-team honors … Had ten touchdown-resulting blocks, but the ground game struggled, managing just 418 yards, an average of 41.8 yards per game … Honed his pass protection skills, as he allowed just two sacks on 374 pass attempts.

Harewood moved into the starting lineup at right tackle, as he also changed his jersey from No. 79 to No. 77 prior to the season opener … Earned All-SIAC second-team honors while helping Morehouse to a 7-3 record while averaging 314.4 yards per game in total offense … Made 63 knockdowns that included seven touchdown-resulting blocks … Also recorded two tackles and blocked a punt in the Albany State clash.

Harewood got an opportunity to play in the team's final two games, but it was on the defensive side of the ball … Recorded seven tackles (4 solos) with a stop behind the line of scrimmage … In his college debut, he had three tackles (2 solos) vs. Albany State … In the Miles College clash, he was in on four tackles (2 solos), including one that stopped tailback Jeremy Spears for a 3-yard loss.

Attended the University of West Indies to study engineering.

No injury report was available.

Campus: 5.11 in the 40-yard dash … 1.83 10-yard dash … 2.95 20-yard dash … 24-inch vertical jump … 9'3" broad jump … Bench pressed 225 pounds 22 times … 35 3/8-inch arm length … 10 1/2-inch hands.

Combine: Did not receive an invitation.

Attended Queen's College in St. Michael, Barbados, where he competed in volleyball, rugby, soccer and track … Also played on the volleyball, rugby and track and field junior national teams.

Applied Physics and Engineering major … Son of Dr. Antonia Coward … Born in St. Michael, Barbados.