After appearing in the Senior Bowl in 2006, Harper was drafted by the Saints in the second round (43rd overall) out of Alabama. Harper played in 124 games, 108 starts, over nine seasons (2006-2013, 2016) with the Saints tallying 685 tackles, 52 passes defensed, seven interceptions including one returned for a touchdown, 14 forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries and 17 sacks. The two-time Pro Bowler (2009, 2010) helped the team to a victory in Super Bowl XLIV and was named to the Saints Hall of Fame in 2021.
“Anytime I get inducted into a Hall of Fame, it is an honor and a blessing, and this is one I did not see coming,” Harper said. “When I played in this game, I was the angriest I have ever been in my life, and to look back and be enshrined in this game really gives me clarity knowing how far I’ve come, and how much I’ve grown as a man and as a person. I am going to cherish this moment, where I can celebrate a time when I was not in a good place mentally, but a time that propelled me into who I am today. That is life, and I am so excited to share this with my family and the people I’ve met in the Senior Bowl along the way. They have poured so much into to me, and I am honored to be a part of this family.”