Harnish must prove he has NFL-quality arm

Chandler Harnish was voted the Most Valuable Player in the Mid-American Conference and was the most decorated quarterback in Northern Illinois history, yet he has something to prove when he participates in the NFL scouting combine this month in Indianapolis.

“I am definitely very excited, and this is just another opportunity for me to show my skills and continue to prove the critics wrong,” Harnish said Wednesday.

Harnish, who guided the Huskies to back-to-back 11-win seasons and bowl victories over Fresno State and Arkansas State, is eager to demonstrate
that he can accurately throw deep passes at
the next level. The NFL combine will take place from Feb. 22-28 at Lucas Oil Stadium.

During workouts leading up to the East-West Shrine game, one observer from NFLDraftscout.com wrote last month:

“Northern Illinois’ Chandler Harnish has enough size and athleticism to warrant late-round consideration, but he showed Monday why scouts have concerns about his ability to throw downfield. His passes ranging from 5-to-15 yards were sharp, but he really struggled with throws over 15 yards – a problem most quarterbacks coming from a spread, quick-strike offense often encounter.”

The 6-foot-2, 225-pound Harnish feels he made
a favorable overall
impression.

“The East-West Shrine game was unbelievable,” Harnish said. “I got to meet so many great people and players and NFL coaches. I got to see how the NFL business is really run. It was an invaluable experience.”

With the success of former MAC quarterbacks such as Ben Rothlisberger (Miami of Ohio) in the NFL, Harnish feels coming from a mid-major such as Northern Illinois should not be viewed negatively. Other former MAC players have performed well in the NFL as well.

“I think it’s huge,” Harnish said. “I think people recognize the MAC and they respect the MAC, especially for the quarterback position, and even [all of] the skill positions, for that matter. There is a lot of respect out there, and it’s always great to have someone pave the way already. Those are great players: Chad Pennington, Byron Leftwich, Omar Jacobs ... there have been a lot of great ones to come through. It really helps me out and it just gives more respect to the conference.”