Chris Harper: 5 Things You Need to Know About the Kansas State WR

Chris Harper transferred to Kansas State with the hopes of becoming a quarterback. However, he quickly found his calling as a wide receiver and played well during his three years with the university.

Being a former quarterback certainly helped make the transition smoother for Harper. He's got a good combination of size and speed to go along with solid overall hands.

Let's take a look at five things you need to know about Harper, the former Kansas State wide receiver.   

Background

Full Name: Christopher Dion Harper

Birthday: September 10, 1989

Hometown: Wichita, Kansas

High School: Northwest High School

Major: Communications

Year: Senior

Harper was a standout quarterback for his high school, with exceptional athletic skills. He was just as talented running the ball as he was throwing the ball.

Rivals.com had him ranked as the 14th-best "athlete" in the country. Harper originally signed with the Oregon Ducks out of high school.

Statistics

When Chris Harper transferred from Oregon to Kansas State, no one could have expected he'd make an impact as a wide receiver so soon in his collegiate career.

Harper continued to grow as a prospect and perfect his craft with each season that passed. His statistics also improved with each season that passed.

YEAR	REC	YDS	YDS/REC	TD
2010	25	330	13.2	4
2011	40	547	13.7	5
2012	57	848	14.9	3

All statistics courtesy of sports-reference.com.

Draft Process

Measurables

Height: 6'1"

Weight: 229 lbs

Arm Length: 32-3/4"

Hand Size: 9-3/4"

Combine Results

40-yard dash: 4.55 seconds

Bench press: 20 reps (top performer)

Vertical jump: 35.5"

Broad jump: 116"

3 cone drill: 6.89 seconds

20-yard shuttle: 4.39 seconds

Pro Day results

40-yard dash: 4.38 seconds

Chris Harper had a very good showing at the NFL Combine, but his 4.38 40-yard dash at the Kansas State pro day proved he has the elite speed to be a real threat in the NFL.

All Combine results courtesy of NFL.com.

All pro day results courtesy of WalterFootball.com.

Interesting Facts

Chris Harper was the definition of a high school all-star. As a freshman, Harper rushed for over 1,000 yards as a running back for Collegiate High School. He switched high schools and was a standout quarterback for the final three seasons.

Not only was he dominant on the football field, but he excelled in basketball, too. In fact, Harper won the Class 6A state title during his sophomore year in high school. 

Observations

There are many who feel that Chris Harper could end up being one of the biggest steals of the draft. Bleacher Report writer Chris Trapasso is one of them:

"

.@bkissel7 Re: WR Chris Harper - I agree. Big. Physical. Competitive. Strong hands. Some deep threat potential. Legit sleeper of mine.

— Chris Trapasso (@ChrisTrapasso) April 22, 2013"

Mike Loyko over at NEPatriotsDraft.com showed us that Harper isn't only physically gifted, but also pretty smart:

"

Chris Harper scored 33 on his Wonderlic according to Bob McGinn.. thats a great number, especially for a WR

— Mike Loyko (@NEPD_Loyko) April 20, 2013"

Back during the Senior Bowl, Harper caught the eye of Cecil Lammey, an NFL insider for ESPN:

"

One of my favorite players this week @seniorbowl is Kansas State WR Chris Harper-- size, crisp routes, reminds me of Anquan Boldin #NFLDraft

— Cecil Lammey (@cecillammey) January 23, 2013"