New England Patriots wide receiver N’Keal Harry wants out of the Patriot Way. His agent went public with a trade demand earlier this week, one that sure seems as if it will be fulfilled by Patriots overlord Bill Belichick in one form or another.
On paper, it makes tons of sense. The Lions receiving corps is almost inarguably the weakest in the NFL entering training camp, and Harry was a first-round pick just two seasons ago. He has size (6-foot-4/225), youth (23) and demonstrated sticky hands and the ability to make difficult catches in heavy traffic at Arizona State.
Alas, it has not translated well to the NFL.
Harry has notched just 45 receptions for 414 yards and four touchdowns in 21 games over his two seasons. He’s fallen behind several other wideouts of lesser hoopla on the Patriots depth chart even as the Patriots were consistently ranked at or near the bottom of wideout talent and depth in that timeframe.
Now he’s gone public with his displeasure at the lack of opportunity Belichick and the Patriots have given him. Except he did it through an agent in a meticulously prepared statement. That doesn’t exactly scream “kneecap-biter”, in Dan Campbell’s terms.
Remember, this is a first-round pick from two years ago who started as soon as he was healthy following an injury that wiped out the first half of his rookie campaign. He’s had opportunities to prove himself and couldn’t do it, even on a team where Damiere Byrd and Jakobi Myers were his chief competition.
Or, as Henry McKenna of Patriots Wire notes,
Even with the lack of depth at receiver for the Patriots over the last couple of years, Harry still failed to stand out as a reliable target. There was always the argument about him being more of a big-bodied possession receiver coming out of college rather than a proven route-runner capable of creating separation from defensive backs.
But outside of a few brief glimpses, Harry has struggled to show either skill set consistently at the NFL level.
Aside from the mentality fit, Harry also fails to check the Campbell box of “get freaking open” that the new Lions coach demands of his receivers. A very cursory tape review of Harry’s 2020 season shows a receiver who lacks both quickness and wiggle and just doesn’t have much athletic dynamism to get separation on his routes.
So should the Lions go after Harry?
I wouldn’t give up any draft assets to acquire Harry, even as desperate as the Lions are at wide receiver. But if the Patriots ultimately waive Harry, he’s worth the waiver claim for Detroit, which has the No. 7 spot in the waiver wire order. Bringing him in with nothing invested beyond a minimal salary commitment does make sense.
However, I’d prefer to see what the team has in UDFA’s Sage Surratt and Javon McKinley, similar types of receivers who have yet to fail in the NFL. As long as the expectations for Harry — from both the Lions and the fans —are the same as they are for those undrafted rookies, there is no harm in claiming him if Harry gets waived. Investing and expecting any more than that is likely to lead to considerable disappointment.