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N’Keal Harry has been working out of sight, though definitely not out of mind. As he started the season on injured reserve, only his teammates and coaches know first-hand how he’s progressing in his first season with the New England Patriots. Expectations were high after Bill Belichick drafted Harry with the 32nd overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft — the highest Belichick has ever selected a receiver.
But the Patriots have shoved down those expectations in recent weeks. New England kept Harry inactive during its Week 9 loss to the Baltimore Ravens, even though the rookie receiver was eligible to play for the first time. Tom Brady and Belichick have separately made comments that haven’t been exuberantly positive. A part of the holdup, receivers coach Joe Judge said, is that the rookie is trying to get back to game speed after so much time on injured reserve.
That’s not easy when the 21-year-old is matching up against Stephon Gilmore, arguably the best cornerback in the NFL, every day at practice.
“I just try to work on my technique and push him. He’s a big guy and can make big catches,” Gilmore told Patriots Wire at his locker on Thursday. “He works hard every day. You can’t control injuries and things like that.”
Just about every Patriot will tell you that Harry is working hard. He’s grinding. He’s relentless at practice.
“He’s got a great edge about him,” Brady said during an interview with WEEI on Wednesday. “I really love that. I really love his tenacity and he’s learning every day, and he’s working hard to get better.”
His injury seems to have presented some challenges as he learns the offense – because studying the playbook isn’t really enough in New England’s offense. Players have to get on the field and execute. It seems that’s where the uncertainty lies — with knowledge and execution of the playbook. When it comes to his physical tools, there aren’t many questions.
“You go back to that Detroit game (in preseason) of him being able to catch the ball away from his body,” cornerback Jason McCourty said. “A contested catch. He almost got away from the first tackler, so I think things of that nature. Obviously he’s a big body, so he plays big. And that helps him create space. I think he’s a guy that does a good job of going up and getting the ball.”
Patriots rookies as a whole have not seen the field much beyond special teams. Third-round pick Chase Winovich leads the pack with 28% of defensive snaps. Second-round cornerback Joejuan Williams, third-round running back Damien Harris and fourth-round quarterback Jarrett Stidham have barely played. Third-round tackle Yodny Cajuste and fourth-round guard Hjalte Froholdt will miss the season with injuries. But Williams said the lack of playing time isn’t getting him or Harry down.
“We both know what the deal is, so we’re just always being ready when our number is called,” Williams said.
Much was made of Brady’s comments about Harry during Week 9 when the quarterback said “it’s up to him to go out there and earn it.” The remarks were tonally different from what Brady had been saying about veteran Mohamed Sanu, who was drawing praise from his quarterback. So speculation ensued: is Brady dissatisfied with Harry? The quarterback cleared that up during an interview with WEEI on Wednesday.
“I think with our team, what I think we’ve done over the years is we’ve not projected expectations for people that put them in an unfair position that people are expecting things that, you know, are not in my control,” Brady said. “If you want to ask someone like N’Keal how he feels he’s doing, you should ask him. To ask me, and then put unfair expectations on a younger player, I don’t think that is helpful at all. It is really up to each individual player. It is not just N’Keal because I like N’Keal a lot. Everybody’s role is earned and I think that is the mark of the Patriots and that is part of the culture — you have to come out here and you have to earn a spot and earn a role. You do that through practice, earning the trust of your teammates and your coaches that you can be talented when the moments are their biggest.”
Belichick wouldn’t say whether Harry will play on Sunday against the Eagles in Philadelphia in Week 11. That could be when Harry gets a chance to show the products of his hard work and tenacity.
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