Jermari Harris 2025 NFL Draft: Projecting top 3 landing spots for Iowa CB ft. Chicago Bears 

A zone coverage specialist with a long frame and four years of college football experience, Jermari Harris is an interesting prospect who could gain traction as the draft draws closer.

The Iowa Hawkeyes cornerback was a solid player for a strong defensive program for the last three years. In his senior season, Harris totaled 27 tackles, seven pass breakups and three interceptions, one of them returned for a touchdown.

However, the Chicago, Illinois native opted out of the final two games of the season as well as the Music City Bowl to prepare for the 2025 NFL draft.

Harris has solid instincts and smooth footwork and he attacks the ball well. At 6-foot-1 and 185 pounds, he has good size to play on the outside. Nevertheless, Harris doesn't have the best closing speed and misses some tackles in the open field leading to some big plays.

Top 3 landing spots for Iowa CB Jermari Harris

Jermari Harris was the top cornerback for the Iowa Hawkeyes while he was on the field. Harris has fallen off draft boards due to him opting out at the home stretch of the season, but will surely gain some steam as the pre-draft process advances.

Jermari Harris has good coverage instincts. - Source: Imagn

While teams that employ man or press coverage will probably pass on the Iowa cornerback, his solid ball skills and good footwork should be appealing to teams that like to use zone coverage. Harris is likely to become a day two pick by the time April arrives.

Here are three teams that could be a good fit for the experienced defensive back.

#3. Green Bay Packers

Inconsistency plagued the Green Bay Packers' defense in 2024, and that included the secondary. Xavier McKinney had eight interceptions, but the rest of the perimeter struggled, especially the corners. Jaire Alexander is injury prone and no other cornerback stepped up.

Their struggles to cover receivers were clear in both games against the Minnesota Vikings, as they were torched by San Darnold on both occasions. Jermari Harris would be the second-best corner on the roster if he was drafted today.

Besides the Vikings, Green Bay must face the Detroit Lions and Chicago Bears twice a year in a division that could suddenly have some of the best passing attacks in the NFL. If there are no other personnel moves in the secondary, the Packers could be in on the former Hawkeye.

#2. Arizona Cardinals

Garrett Williams has been solid for the Arizona Cardinals. However, the other cornerback spot has been a revolving door. The Cardinals would like to find a solid second corner in a division that has some explosive passing attacks.

Jermari Harris has enough talent to crack the starting lineup in Arizona if necessary. His smooth zone coverage skills could help improve the young Cardinals in 2025 and become a fixture for future years.

Arizona seems to be on the verge of competing for a division title, but if the secondary doesn’t improve it’s unlikely they could overtake the other teams in their division.

#1. Chicago Bears

The Chicago native could be going home. Much will depend on new Chicago Bears defensive coordinator Dennis Allen’s approach. The current Bears personnel is better suited to play zone coverage, in fact, the team led the league in zone coverage looks under Matt Eberflus.

However, Allen employed different coverages in the New Orleans Saints, where he usually had some of the top secondaries in the NFL. Allen is a specialist in developing defensive backs, so if he likes Jermari Harris’ skill set, he could maximize his talents

On the personnel side, the Bears need a starting corner opposite Jaylon Johnson. Tyrique Stevenson had a forgettable 2024 season and the entire defensive unit faded down the stretch. Harris feels like a good fit for the Bears.