New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick has provided nothing more than bite-sized morsels about 2019 first-round pick N’Keal Harry.
Belichick has long gone out of his way to slow the hype surrounding his high-profile acquisitions, and Harry is among them. Belichick has never drafted a receiver as high as he selected the ASU product at 32nd overall — and the Patriots seemed to feel fortunate Harry slipped that far. And yet Harry hasn’t debuted in the NFL. He started the season on injured reserve, and was a scratch from Week 9 despite being on the active roster.
Belchick was asked Monday how the 21-year-old wideout is progressing.
“Good,” Belichick told WEEI’s “Ordway, Merloni and Fauria” on Monday. “We’ll see how it goes, relative to the [Philadelphia] game. N’Keal’s practicing well, so those are good things.”
There have been comparisons between Harry and retired receiver Anquan Boldin. Would Belichick say those comparisons are fair?
“I’ve never coached Anquan Boldin, so I’m not sure,” Belichick said.
While the Patriots coach has been relatively quiet about Harry’s progress — and Belichick has kept practices closed, as usual, so reporters haven’t been able to see how he’s playing — quarterback Tom Brady has suggested “it’s gonna be up to (Harry) to put the effort in.” That raised eyebrows in Boston, considering the outpouring of positive praise Brady has had for veteran wideout Mohamed Sanu. Brady’s tone was quite different when discussing Harry. That has created an air of uncertainty surrounding Harry. But Belichick won’t be bothered by speculation.
“All I can do is answer the questions,” Belichick told WEEI. “I can’t tell you how to think.”
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