Late on the first night of the 2019 NFL draft, N’Keal Harry finally found out he was going to be a New England Patriot. But then, for a moment, he wondered if he’d lost the opportunity.
Patriots coach Bill Belichick was calling Harry during the first round to inform the Arizona State wideout he would be joining the Patriots. They had picked him at 32nd overall, but bad reception ended his call with Belichick, and Harry was left scrambling to get the coach back on the phone
“I wasn’t losing my mind but I was definitely nervous,” Harry said on Thursday during an introductory press conference at Gillette Stadium. “There was a part of me that was like, ‘OK, they can’t get ahold of me, I hope they don’t go on to the next person.’ That was a bit of the fear I was having, but it ended up working out.”
But the failed connection was only momentary. He and Belichick spoke, and Harry grew emotional, embracing his grandmother, who had raised him since he was 3 years old and who Harry said Thursday has “been everything” for him.
“I really do know there’s no way I would be in this position without that woman,” Harry said.
Harry became a Patriot. Though he hasn’t yet met Tom Brady, his connection with Brady and Belichick should grow strong and steady over the next few years.
“It was so surreal to me,” Harry said, reflecting on getting drafted. “It didn’t feel real when it first happened, so it took a couple of days. But now it’s sunk in at this point.”
