N’Keal Harry hype train speeds up during Pats’ offseason
Vegas oddsmakers, famed trainers, former coaches… they all keep adding fuel to the growing fire that is excitement over Patriots rookie N’Keal Harry.
It’s been a long time since the Patriots drafted a wide receiver in the first round of the NFL Draft. The last time it happened, Bill Parcells was the head coach, Bill Belichick was the defensive backs coach, and Bill Clinton was the President of the United States.
The choice was Ohio State wide receiver Terry Glenn at No. 7 overall. Glenn was up-and-down for the Patriots over the course of six seasons, but he never really established himself as being worthy of the high pick.
Fast forward 23 years later, and New England once again has a first-round draft pick playing wide receiver on their roster – a pick they made themselves, that is. Bill Belichick selected a wide receiver for the first time in his tenure as head coach, and the pick is talented Arizona State wideout N’Keal Harry.
Harry posted back-to-back seasons eclipsing 1,000 yards receiving during his final two seasons in the desert. Due in equal parts to his consistent production, superb physical makeup, and propensity for making ridiculous highlight-reel grabs, the public reaction to his selection by the world champion Patriots so far has been… enthusiastic… to say the least.
“I definitely think he’s going to be a 1,000-yard receiver as a rookie,” said Travelle Gaines, the renowned sports trainer who’s previously worked with Saquon Barkley, Antonio Brown, and a number of other high-profile professional athletes. In other words – here’s a man who should know what he’s talking about.
Gaines wasn’t finished, either, in his commendations of Josh McDaniels’ newest weapon, gushing openly on Bleacher Report’s “Lefkoe Show.”
"“I definitely think he’s probably going to win NFL Rookie of the Year. And I’m not saying that because I trained him, I’m saying that because he’s in the best position of all offensive rookies in the NFL this year.”"
Gaines noted that Harry seems “almost oblivious to what’s going on outside around him… he’s just focused on training and playing football.” That’s the kind of laser focus his new teammate Tom Brady talks about all the time in interviews with reporters and the media, and it’s bound to earn him both respect in the locker room and trust from the guy throwing him the ball.
Oddsmakers in Las Vegas are similarly bullish about Harry’s prospects playing in the high-powered Patriots offense alongside the G.O.A.T.
In the past 10 years, only two wide receivers have been awarded NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year: Percy Harvin in 2009 and Odell Beckham Jr. in 2014. It’s much easier for the award to go to a quarterback or running back shouldering the majority of the load in an offense – which partly explains why the Top 3 candidates this year in terms of favorable odds are QBs Kyler Murray and Dwayne Haskins, as well as running back Josh Jacobs.
But sitting pretty on that list at No. 4 is N’Keal Harry, who currently has the best odds of any rookie wide receiver; and who has accurately been described as a “dark horse” candidate for OROY by season’s end. Murray plays for the Cardinals, Haskins plays for the Redskins, and Jacobs plays for the Raiders… three of the worst teams in the NFL, based off their 2018 records alone.
While it’s not out-of-the-question to predict that all three teams could be better in 2019 now that they have these dynamic college players in the fold, it’s worth remembering an important part of what Gaines said in his interview about Harry: “he’s in the best position of all offensive rookies in the NFL this year.”
There’s zero doubt about that idea, either. The Patriots have appeared in four of the past five Super Bowls, winning three. They still have the best quarterback and the best head coach in NFL history in the building. And they still have a defense that just played lights-out in the most important game of the season last year – a defense that looks even better on paper this year, too, with all the new faces and a bevy of players returning from injury.
On offense, New England certainly has questions to answer. The loss of magnificent tight end Rob Gronkowski can’t be marginalized or masked, no matter who the team tries to sign to take his place. There’s also a serious concern at left tackle, now that Trent Brown is gone, veteran pickup Jared Veldheer has decided to retire, and 2018 first-round pick Isaiah Wynn is still unproven and coming off a season-long Achilles injury.
Still, the Patriots have the greatest player in NFL history at the game’s most important position. He might be another year older, but he’s wiser too… and he’s shown little physical deterioration or any obvious signs of decline over the course of this recent Patriots dynastic resurgence.
New England also has arguably the most talented and fearsome backfield committee in all of football. Sony Michel, James White, and Rex Burkhead were all unstoppable at various junctures last year. Now, the team has electric Alabama thumper Damien Harris and old favorite Brandon Bolden in the mix as well.
Wide receiver is a bit of a mystery for the team this offseason, with Josh Gordon’s status still unknown and 2018 mainstays Chis Hogan and Cordarrelle Patterson playing elsewhere. Thankfully though, Super Bowl 53 MVP Julian Edelman is still around – and will be for a lot longer – and he’s joined by savvy vets like Phillip Dorsett, Dontrelle Inman, and Demaryius Thomas (if he’s healthy).
Add a promising young playmaker like N’Keal Harry to that group, and maybe this Patriots offense isn’t in such rough shape after all.
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Herm Edwards, who coached Harry at ASU, had this to say about his former pupil:
"“He reminds me a lot, and I don’t like to get into comparing guys, but if you look at his height, his size and probably his speed, similar to Dez Bryant when you look at him. Same body build, the ability to go up and really fight for the football. He wins 90 percent of the contested balls. Not afraid to go over the middle. Has really good running skills when he gets the ball in his hands. You can see that on some tape. You got yourself a good football player. There’s no doubt about that.”"
The Harry hype train is indeed rolling along faster and faster. If you’re not already aboard, perhaps it’s the right time to climb on.