Patriots: 2 players who justified team’s faith and 1 who hasn’t
By Mike Luciano
Big Patriots Loss: WR N’Keal Harry
Belichick is great at many things, but if there is one part of his roster-building philosophy that deserves some criticism, it’s the fact that he struggles with drafting wide receivers, especially with some of his premium draft picks.
Harry was the latest one in the Belichick conveyer belt, as he only was able to record 45 catches in his first two seasons. Even that production can be a bit deceiving since many of his targets last year were schemed touches on short throws on a team that had little to no competition for his snaps.
N’Keal Harry was a bust of a draft pick for the Patriots.
Harry was always going to be a tough projection because he’s a 6-4 receiver who plays more like a slot guy thanks to his speed and vision. Harry hasn’t been utilized properly in New England, and Belichick appears ready to finally give up on him after the team’s free agent spending spree.
Make no mistake, the signings of Nelson Agholor and Kendrick Bourne do not happen if Belichick has any degree of certainty that Harry will become the star they expected. Don’t expect him to earn a second contract with the Patriots … that is, if he lasts beyond 2021.
