N’Keal Harry is doing nothing to upend his bust label in 2020

N’Keal Harry simply hasn’t produced.

New England Patriots receiver N’Keal Harry’s journey toward being an elite receiver will only get harder. The Patriots force-fed Harry at the beginning of this season, and he’s had little to show for it: 24 catches, 213 yards and one touchdown.

The Patriots clearly expected Harry to produce in 2020. They made no additions of note at receiver during the offseason. New England went so far as to cut receiver Mohamed Sanu. And Harry played significant snaps over Jakobi Meyers earlier in the season.

Harry, a 2019 first-rounder, was almost there, right? He couldn’t possibly follow in the line of busts at receiver for New England, right? Well, the outlook isn’t promising for Harry, not even after quarterback Cam Newton made an effort to take the receiver under his wing and not even after Josh McDaniels made an effort to get Harry the ball. In fact, you have to wonder whether the Patriots’ decision to move to Meyers — thereby cutting out Harry — is helping New England’s offense.

Harry’s start in the NFL was turbulent, with the receiver suffering an injury that landed him on injured reserve for the first half of his rookie season. When he returned, New England desperately needed help at receiver. But he proved he wasn’t the answer. He looked both slow off the line of scrimmage, where defensive backs were successfully jamming him, and downfield, where he was struggling to create separation. It was a rough rookie season — but that can happen in New England’s complicated offense.

But it’s hard to give Harry the benefit of the doubt anymore. He’s still struggling to separate downfield. Even when McDaniels designs plays to get Harry the ball, the receiver doesn’t run with the same power and athleticism he displayed in college. And when Newton throws the ball off-frame to Harry, he can’t haul in the targets. He was supposed to be, at least, a big, physical possession receiver with an impressive catch radius. And that’s not working out. It’s hard to say what Harry does well, aside from run-blocking.

In the passing game, Meyers and Byrd are outplaying Harry. And it’s fair to peg both those pass-catchers as fairly average when compared to the league. If Julian Edelman returns to even a fraction of his form from last year when he gets off IR, he will jump Harry on the depth chart. And New England will have little reason to play the young receiver in the games to come — aside from their hope that maybe, possibly, he’ll turn the corner.

When the 2021 offseason rolls around, the Patriots will be forced to make more significant investments at the receiver position, whether that means signing a free agent wideout with their abundant cap space or drafting another youngster at a high spot. That could keep Harry buried on the depth chart.

Harry’s time is running out. New England gave him ample opportunities to prove himself in 2020. But the Patriots need to begin to search for better production at the position, which will make his opportunities fewer and further between in the days and years to come.

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