For the first time in Bill Belichick’s tenure as the New England Patriots head coach, he drafted a wide receiver in the first round.
N’Keal Harry from Arizona State had high expectations based on Belichick’s unprecedented draft choice — expectations he couldn’t live up to. Harry sustained an injury during the preseason that sidelined him for the first nine games, making it difficult to prove himself. He was tossed into a stagnant Patriots offense with a frustrated Tom Brady in the middle of the season and it was enough pressure to make any rookie fold.
Harry finished the year with 12 catches, 105 yards and two touchdowns in seven games. He has time this offseason to learn and continue to grow, but NFL media’s Daniel Jeremiah doesn’t see his ceiling being too high.
“He went a little bit higher than I had him, but what I thought he could do was be a red-zone guy, he was a big target, a third-down option,” Jeremiah said on WEEI’s ‘Dale & Keefe’. “It’s not normal to have rookies play well at that position. Last year was not a normal year. We had A.J. Brown, (D.K.) Metcalf and (Terry) McLaurin, all these guys, Deebo Samuel, have great rookie years. It is normal for these guys to take a little bit of time.
“I’d reserve judgment there. I don’t think he is going to be an elite player, I don’t think he’s going to be a No. 1 receiver, but I think he can be a solid player in the league and I think we will see how he progresses, but that is my expectation that he will get to that point.”
The Patriots depth chart currently would place Julian Edelman as the No. 1 receiver and likely put Harry right behind. New England has Edelman, Harry, Mohamed Sanu, Damiere Byrd and Jakobi Meyers as guys who would likely make the roster.
Harry is going against unlikely odds right now with an uncertain quarterback situation, but 2020 will be a huge season to prove his worth in the NFL.
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