Welcome To The Pats N'Keal Harry

[Kontradiction]

Wouldn’t mind nabbing Hunter Renfrow also.

I’d be happy with either Renfrow or Isabella if we’re going to double dip.

 

[long distance]

But none of them had the same profile of Harry. He's the perfect blend of productivity, physical tools, football IQ, work ethic, age, market share, standout analytics, etc. He's going to be a day 1 fan favorite.



Bed time for me, so I'll you a real reply tomorrow, but he's more like Juju Smith-Schuster than the above players. Big slot + motion receiver, with occasional snaps at X. I know you're not a big PFF fan, but this should still show some promise:

Thanks, reamer. I understand the “we have WR1“ party here esp. after underwhelming offseason of missing out on every WR target . I wasn't even talking about Harry but about the value/sense of the pick. I thought that could be a legitimate discussion here .. and since it seems its not i'll try not to spoil the party too much..

1. To me there was not much separation in this WR class so picking one or two or three later would be using this value of the situation. (they obviously liked the kid so that was the separation for them..)

2. The true value of this 1 round imo was DL and OL. Its rarely that you can get a relatively sure pick, dominant immediate starter (incl 3-down DT) at the bottom of 1st round. Now they are mostly gone with Risner, Jenkins going soon id guess. (there are some solid OLs after that that they probably like so we'll see how it goes. there seems to be a significant drop off at DL though. i love Gaines f.e. but he is a 2-down player. some nice 3T prospects but far from the dominant prospects of the first tier..). With Pats always drafting at the bottom (and i believe it continues) this was a rare opportunity.. and with 12 picks and core team in place (+ getting plenty of young blood in from last class) very nice opportunity to move up..

3. The value of WR position esp. in BB-McD system is way below some other positions . not to mention the success rate Also the WR market is much healthier value/spending wise than OL and most others. Its almost impossible to get good tackle in free agency and you have to pay franchise money for an average one and the rest of OL price tags skyrocketed as well. They missed out on UFA WR talent this year and nailed the OT last year (albeit just a 1 y rental) but that would be more of an exception

4. Trading further to next years to give themselves best chance to be in the market for what they believe is the best QB option for the future (since they are certainly not tanking ) was the next best value for #32 imo

Why do you say that? Belichick saw a strong, physical specimen who tracks the ball and tested well during the plays they asked him to break down.

He’s also a beast in the run game, learned under a former (respectable) NFL head coach, has a great work ethic, and just turned 21 several months ago around the holidays. It also happened to be a great position of need. He was projected to go anywhere from the late 20s to mid 30s. What, exactly, is the issue that you have?

hopefully answered some of this above.. i don't have the issue with player/prospect at all
looks like a great kid. just hope they dont give him the #17..

Who would YOU have taken?

I'm not really in position of taking anyone. I would prefer THEY went other position/way as explained above though

 

[Uptown]

 

[PatriotsReign]

Great pick.

One thing I’ve learned being a member here for a long time is that none of our members are qualified to truly evaluate draft picks including myself

We have a few wanna be analysts though. Guess they must watch NCAA film all year and have NFL LEVEL experience evaluating prospects!

When I read members posting about footwork, balance, explosiveness, etc., I chuckle. It makes me wonder if members actually spend time trying analyze or assess these players when...it doesn’t matter or mean anything. Maybe they think patriots coaches read Patsfans!

So I’ll just say I’m very excited to see how this pick turns out. I’m very positive because I know I’m not qualified to assess this pick at a professional level.

 

[ZoisKing]

Well spoken young man. Glad to have him.

 

[JayNM]

Wow they really took a receiver. @JayNM hats off to you friend. Didn’t hear about this guy until we picked him, but sounds like quite the talent.

Thank you Froob

I think i can say, without it being a magnanimous fallacious statment, that by predicting the 1st round WR, i should be considered one if not THE best poster of Pats fan, just above people who make in-depth game reviews and some lucky poster that is called out by our RB.

I do promise to not get this up to my head. Im still a commoner, like all of you, but with amazing prowess to know the future

 

[Sicilian]

I'm always wary of rookie WRs, not because I buy 100% into the "Patriots suck at drafting them" angle, but more just we demand a LOT from them in our system so it becomes hard to predict who will "get it" and who won't.

But this is the kind of player I think has less risk, because from all accounts he's a hard worker, a film room junkie, and is good at blocking. He has a lot of ways he could contribute, even early, so his bust risk is lower. Hopefully it works out for everyone, welcome N'Keal!

 

[MUFC7]

Some guys on here ... It's the draft and as long as it isn't like BB trademark WTF DB in the 2-3rd (that Tavon Wilson pick broke me in that regard ...) every damn year I'm happy. It's not every year you get the perfect player late in the first like Vince Wilfork but even that situation occured a few seasons ago with Malcolm Brown ... Not saying he was a bust but he wasn't even a regular starter which you'd expect from a 1st rounder.

From everything I've read I'm happy with the pick. Pats need WRs badly.

 

[everlong]

I'm cautiously optimistic with the pick. I definitely didn't see them taking him at 32 but thought he might be in play with 56 or 64.

The good: Amazing body control both in the air and on the sidelines. He's going to be a major red zone threat. He also has terrific hands and concentration. He makes catches with defenders wrapped all over him. He has the same type of power to run through people that Gordon has shown during his career.

The bad: Doesn't get a lot of separation. The 4.53 speed with his height and wingspan is fast enough but I do wonder if he'll consistently win at the next level. The pessimist in me sees Chad Jackson and Aaron Dobson. They did draft him a lot higher so Bill definitely saw something he really liked.

The questions: Can he pick up the offense? I think it would be worth the Patriots paying Randy Moss to coach the kid during the offseason so he understands what Tom wants. Randy's football smarts were always underrated. If he picks it up and Gordon stays on the straight and narrow that will be the first time since Moss and Stallworth that Brady has had two big outside threats.

 

[RobertWeathers]

Thank you Froob

I think i can say, without it being a magnanimous fallacious statment, that by predicting the 1st round WR, i should be considered one if not THE best poster of Pats fan, just above people who make in-depth game reviews and some lucky poster that is called out by our RB.

I do promise to not get this up to my head. Im still a commoner, like all of you, but with amazing prowess to know the future

All you need to do is pay James White to say how awesome you are and you will attain Mt Rushmore status on Patsfans

 

[zimmy]

He wasn't my favourite receiver in the draft but there are plenty of positives here

1. He wasn't a reach. He was widely regarded as a late 1st/early second type
2. He has good size and hands. He runs smooth routes and can go up and get the 50/50 balls. He just outmuscles cornerbacks like a Dez Bryant type. He has lined up outside and in the slot and even does some stuff on screens.
3. He has the demeanour and competitive nature you want in a big time WR
4. We needed a boundary WR with size. I didn't want to rely on Thomas coming off an ACL.
5. He is the 4th youngest receiver in the draft, only just turned 21 a couple of months ago. Has huge potential to grow.

Now he has some trouble separating down the field but plenty of these types of receivers do. I really think he's going to be a very solid receiver in the league. He might not be a superstar but he's not going to bust. A good possibility he contributes significantly this year.

If we add a faster slot guy with kick return ability today like Mecole Hardman then we will be set at WR.

 

[Teej]

He's not a 4.4 and under burner but he'll plant a foot and get separation the Edeleman way and we know Jules can't be covered LOL. On top of that, Harry gets up to speed in a nanosecond, is tough, competitive and has top shelf hands. I see nothing to complain about at this point.

Well done Bill!

 

[zoostation]

Anyone worried about his quickness or separation skills should watch the releases at the LoS he put on Justin Layne. Tell me that doesn't look like a Patriots receiver? He's got run after the catch skills like Patterson, but he actually knows how to run routes and shows up well on whiteboard sessions. He's going to be a monster.

Exactly. With his yac potential and punt returner like footwork I can see him getting a heavy dose of 4 yard slants or button hooks and turning them into 20+ gains.

 

[BelichickFan]

I'm very happy with the pick. WR was our biggest need and while Harry may not have the highest upside, he has a fairly high floor as WR go.

 

[Teej]

Let's not forget the new (you can't touch me)pass interference rules, DBs will get flagged covering him because the 50/50 balls could be more like 80/20 and they won't win any other way.

 

[FredFromDartmouth]

Disaster? Based on the drafting history of WRs by both BB and McDaniels, this pick will turn out to be a disaster. Or at least that is history tells us, but maybe BB has learned from his mistakes and held off Josh...you can only hope.

And I suspect that BB wanted DL help in the first but there was a run so a WR ended up in his lap since other teams figured that BB would never draft a WR there...

 

[Mike the Brit]

I'm all on board with Mr Harry.

Thinking about the losses from the '18 team:

Brown and Flowers were expected: great players, but we'll just have to trust that the team had thought this through. Gronk: it's hardly possible to overstate this. Over the years, I lost count of the times that he put the team on his back (often quite literally). He's the greatest of all time at his position and second only to Brady in importance to the team. That said, though you're not replacing him, I have always thought that there are a lot of serviceable mid-range tight ends out there: big tough guys who can block decently and catch the ball, who are smart enough to find soft spots in zones, but who don't have Gronk's amazing size, speed and hands.

Still, one other player stood out to me (a bit surprisingly) for the number of devastating plays he made as I re-watched the 2018 games: Cordarrelle Patterson. As often as not, other teams seemed to have no answer to him out of the backfield. So that is the subtraction that has been most on my mind. And then I saw this (credit: mrscruff):

Film Review by Voch Lombardi:

If they only use Harry this year to replace CP on sweeps, reverses, screens and so on -- the kind of play that McDaniels designs so brilliantly and the Pats execute so well -- it will still be an excellent pick. But, of course, it looks like he can do much more.

I'm excited!

 

[raduray]

You know what really sucks about winning or being in contention for the Super Bowl every year? Having to scroll all the way down to the bottom of each draft analysis web page.

 

[Patriot Missile]

Keep reading he’s not a burner and doesn’t get separation. What I do see is a player that while not straight line fast, has game speed after the catch with very good body control and a understanding of movement.

I’d rather have a guy that can play 4.53 in pads than a 4.3 burner who can’t play to his speed once jammed out of the play. Making comparisons is tough, so I’m gonna let it play out knowing that Deandre Hopkins was hit with the same weaknesses coming out of the draft, 4.56. We’ll see.

 

[ctpatsfan1]

Anybody else see Larry Fitzgerald when watching tape on Nkeal Harry?

Bingo. Thought it was just me projecting but that is exactly who I thought of when I saw the clips of him making plays. Hope he can be as productive.