Reserved for
N'keal Harry
Caserio:
“He’s a strong guy. He’s hard to tackle. He actually has a little bit of ability to just make people miss. It’s one of the things that he’s been productive doing. You get the ball in his hands and he’s been able to make some yards. We’ll see if that translates over to us here when we get him.”
We have our own JuJu Smith-Schuster now. I've had a pet theory for a while that Belichick regrets not having a chance to draft him. Recall, for example, that Belichick complimented JuJu for the way he played the game. I've kept a lookout for similar receivers, and I came to the conclusion that consistent college production really mattered. It turns out that numerous analytics sites have already beaten me to the punch. From there I looked through the 2019 prospects with an eye toward production, size, physicality, YAC, contested catches, explosive plays, high football IQ, work ethic, and early dominance. Harry is outstanding in all categories.
As other people have mentioned on the board after the Harry pick, he earned top marks in market share / college dominator and did it all at an early age. All the analytic models liked his production.
N'Keal Harry - Player Profile Advanced Stats, Metrics & Analytics
Some might be surprised that Harry didn't run the fastest 3-cone or 40, but he showed phenomenal explosive traits at nearly 230 pounds. That's important for receivers over 6'2:
Harry ran a more diverse route tree than Metcalf or Brown, two receivers mocked in a similar range. He has inside/outside versatility, although my guess is that he'll run a lot of similar routes to Hogan, at least at first, in addition to the plays Patterson had last -- emphasize his open field running and ability to win contested catches. The ability to play X, Z, slot, or even H-back, really turns him into a fantastic chess piece who should see the field early and often.
For all of these reasons, I was all-in on Harry as our WR target leading up to the draft, although I thought he would be gone by 32 and so I had turned my attention to some other receivers. I had a sneaking suspicion Baltimore might grab him (they did go WR, but opted for a speed merchant instead of a mini-Gronk at WR). The need, player, and value all lined up and made sense. I'm excited to see how Harry develops over the next 5 years! He has a real shot at rookie of the year if he gets on the same page with Brady.
Why Patriots’ N’Keal Harry is *my* favorite wide receiver in this draft
Pro Football Focus on Twitter
Per PFF: When targeted in the intermediate level of the field (10-19 yards), no draft-class WR had a higher overall grade when targeted.