4 draft pick re-dos that could’ve changed Patriots’ entire recent history
By Jerry Trotta
1. Deebo Samuel over N’Keal Harry (2019)
Could you imagine if Tom Brady was throwing passes to Deebo Smauel in 2019 — his final season with the Patriots — instead of N’Keal Harry? In need of a receiver heading into that season, New England foolishly (in hindsight, obviously) drafted the Arizona State star with the final pick of the first round.
Their return on investment has been non-existent, as Harry has compiled 57 catches for 598 yards and four touchdowns in his career. During that span, he’s appeared in 33 of a possible 49 regular-season games while making just 18 starts and playing 52% of the snaps. Just unheard of numbers for a first-round WR.
By all accounts, Samuel had an up-and-down rookie season and he still managed to eclipse Harry’s career production that year. In 15 games, the 2019 second-rounder, taken four picks after Harry, racked up 57 catches for 802 yards and three scores, adding 156 yards and three TDs as a ball-carrier.
Since then, Samuel has morphed into one of the most valuable offensive weapons in the league. This past season, he set a slew of NFL records en route to tallying 1,770 yards from scrimmage and 14 touchdowns for the 49ers.
The saddest part is Samuel wasn’t the only future stud receiver New England bypassed that year. Between AJ Brown (No. 51 overall), DK Metcalf (No. 64 overall), Diontae Johnson (No. 66 overall), Terry McLaurin (No. 76 overall) and future Pat Hunter Renfrow (No. 149 overall), the Patriots’ selection of Harry is an all-time draft blunder.
