7-foot, 380-pound Dondre Harris: The nation's tallest high school football defensive lineman

By Stephen Spiewak Sep 19, 2014, 12:00am

Dondre Harris towers over teammates, coaches and opponents. MaxPreps was on hand for visual proof.



Meet Essex (Tappahannock, Va.) senior Dondre Harris, the nation's tallest defensive lineman.

Harris is a 7-foot, 380-pound defensive lineman for the small, public high school located about 45 miles northwest of Richmond. He spent time on the offensive line a year ago, and according to Essex head coach John Fulks, is a starter at defensive tackle for Essex.

To put Brown's uncanny size in perspective, the tallest player in the 2014 NFL Draft was defensive tackle Daniel McCullers, now of the Pittsburgh Steelers, who now checks in at 6-7, 360 pounds.



That gives Harris a good 5 inches and 20 pounds over Brown. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Harris has a basketball background.

According to Fulks, Harris has yet to receive much attention from colleges coaches. That could change with a strong senior season, since Harris' size is the stuff that defensive coordinator pipe dreams are made of.

MaxPreps professional photographer John Bowers was on hand at last Friday's game against King William, catching Harris in action as he towered over opponents and teammates alike. Check out some more media showing the big guy standing out:
Essex 7-foot defensive lineman Dondre Harris is a massive young man, and offensive linemen find themselves in odd positions when trying to keep him out of the backfield.
Essex 7-foot defensive lineman Dondre Harris is a massive young man, and offensive linemen find themselves in odd positions when trying to keep him out of the backfield.
Photos by John Bowers