N’Keal Harry spent much of his rookie season learning where he was coming up short. Though he had brilliant flashes of explosiveness, he was simply not consistent enough to make an impact every week, which culminated in a disappointing playoff appearance with seven targets and two catches for 21 yards.
With another offseason to study the playbook, Harry has reapplied himself, and has found a new level of understanding of New England’s system.
“There’s a lot of things about this offense that would be hard to pick up at first, a lot of little details that a lot of guys don’t have to pay attention to in college,” Harry said Tuesday during a videoconference with reporters. “This second year has helped me a lot. The offseason, just getting to study some things and knowing the offense a lot more. So I came back, felt very comfortable with it, and it helped me a lot being a second-year guy.”
His adjustments aren’t just mental. He’s tweaked some things physically, too. He arrived at training camp noticeably slimmer, which could help with his movement out of press coverage, one of his biggest weaknesses last season. He said he’s been eating cleaner and working out less to drop weight.
“I just felt like I was a little bit big,” he said. “I just felt like slimming down a little bit and being a little more thin would help me getting off the top of my routes, getting in and out of my breaks and my releases.”
That’s not the only thing he’s done to work on agility. He spent big portions of the offseason working with a man known as the “Footwork King.” That, too, could help Harry release off the line of scrimmage.
“He’s very good at what he does,” Harry said of the footwork guru. “He helps guys get lighter on their feet. That’s something that helped me out. I noticed right away.”
The Patriots’ receivers will tell you their job is fairly simple: they all have to 1) get open and 2) catch the ball. Harry’s decision to prioritize improving his agility should help with step one.
