Harold in position to step in
Three years ago, then-Virginia freshman Eli Harold saw a picture of an NFL player he was eager to emulate each time he powered on his iPad.
An image of Aldon Smith served as the background on Harold’s device, but his desire to mirror the pass-rushing skills of the 49ers’ All-Pro outside linebacker was at the forefront of his thoughts.
“He was a guy — I felt like I had similarities to him,” Harold said. “He’s a long, athletic guy and I really felt like I
could be there one day where his success level is. A guy I could really model myself after.”
Harold relayed that to reporters in May after the 49ers selected him in the third round of the NFL draft. At the time, it appeared Harold was in line for a relatively stress-free rookie season learning behind a group of outside linebackers that included Smith, Ahmad Brooks and Aaron Lynch.
On Friday, however, that likely scenario was altered when the oft-troubled Smith was released after he was arrested on suspicion of hit-andrun, DUI and vandalism.
With Smith no longer in the picture, Harold is certainly in line for more snaps this season. And the 49ers hope the longlimbed Harold (33-inch arms) can begin to realize his goal of having Smith-like success in the NFL.
For his part, head coach Jim Tomsula, who is hesitant to lavish praise on unproven players, noted Harold is off to an auspicious start. Tomsula said all rookies have their ups and downs, but Harold …
“He hasn’t had the downs, but we’re still early on in this thing,” Tomsula said. “But Eli’s doing a really good job. He’s an energetic guy. I think everybody sees what we saw in him and why we drafted him. He’s a wonderful human being and one really athletic, competitive individual.”
Harold, 21, who left Virginia after his junior season, wasn’t available to the media before practice Saturday, but he has made his presence known during training camp. In passrushing drills, he’s routinely shown the quickness and explosion that translated to 29.5 tackles for losses and 15.5 sacks in his final two college seasons.
Harold, a speed-rusher who figures to add weight to his 6-foot-3, 247-pound frame, has routinely beaten offensive linemen with a lightning-quick inside move. On Friday, his victim was undrafted rookie tackle Patrick Miller, who whiffed when Harold juked left and darted inside.
Harold’s athleticism is obvious. Safety Antoine Bethea, 31, a nine-year veteran, has been struck by Harold’s ability to grasp X’s and O’s.
“Smart young fella,” Bethea said. “Getting the playbook in his hand. With the young guys, that’s the most important thing — that those guys understand the playbook, know where they’re supposed to be and get there at the right time. He’s doing a great job of that so far.”
Harold was projected by many draft analysts as a second-round pick and has acknowledged he was disappointed when he slipped to No. 79 overall. After the 49ers selected him, NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock said: “I’m surprised he’s lasted this long.”
After his long wait in the spring, though, Harold has proved to be a quick study.
On Saturday, Tomsula was discussing the 49ers’ flock of young cornerbacks and said it was clear they were moving faster as they became more comfortable in the defense. Describing their improvement, Tomsula said: “Little bleeps on the radar are starting to become — instead of beep … beep … beep, it’s beep-beep-beepbeep-beep.”
The next question: How is Harold beeping?
“Eli Harold,” Tomsula said, “he came in beeping.”