Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots made an exception for Arizona State receiver N’Keal Harry. Belichick had never taken a receiver in the first round — until Harry. But apparently, the 6-foot-3, 225 pound receiver was tempting enough to warrant the 32nd overall selection.
When asked about the receiver, Nick Caserio explained Harry was a “big, strong receiver. Good hands. Good after the catch.” That much was evident from his game film. His ability to high point the ball in contested situations was impressive.
“Whenever that ball’s in the air, I’ll sacrifice anything to go get it,” Harry said on a conference call after the Patriots picked him.
There’s some question as to whether he was in too many of those contested-catch situation. In other words: did he demonstrate the ability to separate? His 40-yard dash was 4.53 seconds, and he never registered and official 3-cone drill. He also didn’t have an enormously diverse route tree at Arizona State.
Regardless, he has the versatility to play in the slot or outside, which is unique for a receiver of Harry’s size. And his ability to break tackles and create yards, no matter the position, impressed Caserio.
Another plus for Harry is that he had more than one season of success in college. He logged 73 receptions, 1,088 yards and nine touchdowns in 2018. In 2017, he had 82 receptions for 1,142 yards and eight touchdowns. He also said on the conference call that he’s willing to contribute on special teams, where he has experience returning punts. When looking at potential draft selections, the Patriots lean toward players with longer track records of success, with hopes that might prevent busts.
Harry provides an interesting complement to Julian Edelman, Demaryius Thomas and maybe even Josh Gordon. New Englands receiving corps has gotten significantly taller in recent weeks, with Gordon, Thomas and Harry bringing the height. Thomas, a free agent this offseason, signed on April 16 and Gordon signed his restricted free agent tender on April 23. It’s an interesting shift after the team has trended toward smaller receiver for the last few years.
Perhaps Gordon and Thomas can afford Harry a year for development. Perhaps he won’t need one.
