Patriots: N’Keal Harry’s disappearance further proves he’s likely a bust

Patriots WR N’Keal Harry’s disappearance over the last few weeks only supports those who claim he’s a draft bust.

We were hoping against hope it wouldn’t happen, but the Patriots evidently looked like a team that only practiced a handful of times over the last couple of weeks on Sunday against Denver. As easy as it would be to blame their coronavirus outbreak — three more players were placed on the COVID-19 reserve list this weekend — the game was still there for the taking.

When all was said and done, however, the Patriots, despite holding the touchdown advantage, came out as losers. The humbling defeat really amplified their problems on offense, which struggled to move the ball all game.

Cam Newton understandably looked rusty, but he didn’t exactly get a ton of help from his wide receiving corps, which combined to barely outproduce running back James White, who tallied a team-high eight receptions for 68 yards on nine targets.

Julian Edelman was a no-show, but he was questionable heading into the game with a knee injury, so we’re not going to come down too hard on him. In our eyes, the bigger takeaway was the disappearance of No. 2 wideout N’Keal Harry, who managed just three receptions for 21 yards on six targets against a beatable Broncos secondary.

We hate to say it, but Harry’s lack of production in a season many analysts expected him to make a considerable leap after his rookie year was derailed by injuries will only supports the claims of those who believe he’s a draft bust.

Winning should obviously be the number one goal of every player, but Harry was simply too highly praised coming out of college to be this inconsistent. His blowup performance in Week 2 against Seattle when he racked up eight receptions for 72 yards had media members in a frenzy, but that has ultimately proved to be an outlier.

The 2019 first-round pick has failed to eclipse the 40-yard threshold in his other three games this season. For added context, he’s averaged just 3.3 catches for 31.3 yards per game outside of the primetime barnburner versus the Seahawks.

Edelman playing fewer snaps this season has opened the door for Harry to establish himself as the team’s top pass catcher, and to say that he’s squandering that opportunity is unfortunately a massive understatement.

Harry was among the most feared WRs in the country over his final two seasons at Arizona State, across which he posted 155 receptions for 2,230 yards and 17 touchdowns, but potential can only take you so far in the NFL. At some point, he’s going to have to live up to it.

Until he does, and we have no idea when (or if) that will happen, the 22-year-old will carry the dreaded bust label next to his name.

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