For those getting spooked about the development of New England Patriots receiver N’Keal Harry, allow his college coach, ASU’s Herm Edwards, to provide some reassuring words.
Edwards appeared on WEEI on Tuesday morning to discuss Harry, who visited ASU this weekend and caught up with his former coach.
“He’s got great football instincts,” Edwards said. “And then the thing I think Tom (Brady) and the guys know about him is, if you get him in the 1-on-1 situations, you can throw the ball to him and trust that he’ll come down with it. (He’s) very competitive for the football. The game’s not too big for him. The lights won’t be too big for him when he’s on the field.”
Edwards said Harry, who was the 32nd overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, could play inside in the slot, but Edwards also compared the receivers game to that of Josh Gordon, who the Patriots cut roughly two weeks ago.
It’s likely the Patriots will ask Harry to play multiple receiver positions, much like they’ve done with all of their pass-catchers this season. But Harry’s most likely landing spot in the offense seems to be on the outside, where Gordon lined up at the X-receiver spot. That job tends to go to a bigger receiver who can work the deeper and intermediate areas on the field. That’s where Harry lined up for most of training camp. But that’s not an easy role to learn, and Edwards said Harry is doing his best to get up to speed, even if he hasn’t made his NFL debut. Harry started the season on IR, and though he was activated to the 53-man roster, he didn’t appear on game day in Week 9.
“I think all guys want to play, but it’s a different challenge now,” Edwards said. “It’s professional football. This is not college football. … It’s much more complicated than college football.”
