As the 2020 New England Patriots offense gets acclimated, there have been some young players who have stepped up in a big way. N’Keal Harry, a 2019 first-round draft pick, is certainly one of them.
After suffering from the injury bug last season, Harry is beginning to find a role in the New England Patriots offense. To this point, Harry has caught 16 passes for 111 yards, averaging 8.5 yards per reception.
After making a minimal impact against the Miami Dolphins in the opener, he really showed what he could do against the Seattle Seahawks. Catching eight passes for 72 yards, he made a couple of crucial catches during the final drive of the game to help set up the Patriots in the red zone.
More so than just what he did on Sunday, Harry has also begun to establish his play style. He is becoming a physical, spot receiver. Take Sunday’s game for example. Quarterback Cam Newton ran a couple of screen plays for Harry. He had trouble getting up the field, and was tackled shortly after he began accelerating for yardage.
On the final drive of the game, he was able to catch passes in tight windows. On the first-and-10 from the Patriots 19-yard line, Harry started the drive catching a short pass from Newton for 13 yards. A couple plays later, Harry caught a pass for 17 yards over the middle. Harry’s last big contribution on the drive was a pass to the Seattle one-yard line on a second-and-10 play.
There weren’t too many instances where Harry ever really had to run up field in the latter part of the game. It was more so that he was able to catch the ball where it was placed and catch it contested over the middle. A drive like that is what Harry may be known for in the NFL.
I see him as more of a physical, possession receiver. He will be able to catch the throws in tight windows and turn up field. He will be able to take those passes over the middle and make something happen. I don’t see him as a consistent speed threat where he will be able to turn on the jets on a screen pass or consistently beat a cornerback on the outside.
He began to show what exactly is leading to his impressive play over the past two games on Sunday. He is beginning to find his role within the Patriots offense, and it’s is a role where he can certainly find consistent success. He complements the speed of Damiere Byrd and the shiftiness of Julian Edelman well. Harry’s emergence is beginning to create a triple threat at wide receiver.
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