Bill Belichick: Pats “fortunate” to have N’Keal Harry fall to them

N’Keal Harry’s ex-college coach claims that Bill Belichick told him the Patriots were “so fortunate” to have the opportunity to draft Harry where they did.

With the N’Keal Harry hype train rolling along faster and faster these days, it’s high-time to reflect back on just what led the Patriots to draft the first-round wide receiver where they did.

After all, the Pats had previously never used a first-round pick on a wideout in the Bill Belichick era. Apparently, though, they saw something special in Harry… and it was enough for them to buck that precedent once and for all.

Harry’s old college coach from Arizona State, Todd Graham, recently opened up to reporters and provided a little bit of an inside scoop on that decision. According to Graham – who is good friends with Belichick – New England may have even taken Harry earlier had their pick been higher in the draft.

“When I talked to coach Belichick the night that he drafted N’Keal, (Belichick) told me, ‘Man, we were so fortunate that he was still there,’” Graham told The Athletic’s Jeff Howe. “They were so glad he was still available. They had him graded a lot higher than where he was taken in the first round.”

Allegedly, when it came time for New England to make the 32nd and final selection of the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft, their choice came down to Harry and Vanderbilt cornerback Joejuan Williams. Belichick finally elected to go with Harry – and then must have been ecstatic (for him, at least) – to find Williams still available when the Patriots were on the clock again in the second round.

Harry has been electrifying in OTAs so far, at least from what word has gotten out of the closed-door sessions and what multiple media members confirmed from the one practice last week that was open to reporters. He’s doing exactly what he did in college – fighting for the football, making tough impressive catches, and showing great vision on the field in finding a path to extra yards.

He also made headlines earlier in the week when he was spotted in a series of photos on social media working out with new teammates Tom Brady and Julian Edelman outside of the Patriots’ voluntary OTAs.