N’Keal Harry easily the biggest story of OTAs so far
N’Keal Harry, the first pick in the New England Patriots’ 2019 NFL Draft, has far and away been the brightest star in the early days of OTAs.
It’s all too tempting to rush into conclusions prematurely when it comes to the NFL.
Look no further than the case of the New England Patriots. Every year this team seems to stumble a bit out of the gates come September, and every year there’s always a waiting crowd of naysayers ready to proclaim the end is upon us for the Brady/Belichick superdynasty. Like holidays and birthdays, there’s just no escaping it.
Sure enough, it happened in 2018. The Patriots started off 2-2, the hand-wringing began, the doomsday articles started getting published… and then the team went on its usual winter run, and proceeded to mow their way through the playoffs en route to another Super Bowl championship.
The lesson here is that it’s important to pump the brakes sometimes, take a step back, maybe breathe a bit, and wait before forming any definitive, ironclad opinions when it comes to matters of football – especially as they relate to the New England Patriots.
So it’s with a bit of self-awareness that we acknowledge the 2019 NFL season is still very, very, very young. It really hasn’t even begun yet… we’ve had free agency, we’ve had the draft, we’ve had some early league meetings and some voluntary organized team activities. That’s about it.
Still, it’s hard not to be impressed with what first-round draft pick N’Keal Harry is doing out there on the fields of Foxborough.
MassLive.com listed Harry’s back-shoulder catch in the end zone over cornerbacks J.C. Jackson and Duke Dawson as its “Play of the Day” from Thursday’s OTA session that was open to the media. NESN.com was similarly impressed by Harry’s athleticism on the play… as was the quarterback who threw him the touchdown in question.
“He’s obviously a great player, great person,” fellow rookie pick Jarrett Stidham said of Harry. “He’s just so big. It’s hard to overthrow him sometimes. He’s just so big. He’ll just go up and get it. He’s going to be a great player. He’s just got to continue to work hard. I think he’s been doing everything he can to do his thing.”
Harry was reportedly peppered with targets all day, and while he wasn’t perfect – reporters noted he had more than a few crucial drops – he also came away with a ton of contested catches, which is one of Harry’s strong suits coming out of college. All in all, the Arizona State receiver reportedly reeled in four touchdowns on the day
He even got some reps in returning punts, though it’s unclear if that’s an area the Patriots ultimately plan to use him in. Harry could simply be too valuable on offense to risk injuring as a return specialist.
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There’s still a long way to go between now and the start of the regular season. We’re about halfway between Super Bowl 53 and Opening Night, so there’s still a lot more to be decided both on the Patriots roster and elsewhere around the league.
But if what we’re seeing so far is any indication of things to come, 2019 could very well spell the emergence of a true star in talented wideout N’Keal Harry.