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The Patriots traded 2019 first round pick N’Keal Harry this afternoon to the Chicago Bears for a 2024 seventh round pick. The trade marked the end of one of the most disappointing careers in Patriots history.
Harry joins a long list of wide receivers who were busts in the Bill Belichick era. Harry will now keep company with Bethel Johnson, Chad Jackson, Taylor Price, Aaron Dobson and Josh Boyce as receivers Belichick drafted but couldn’t develop.
The difference between Harry and those guys is that Harry was a first round pick. His lack of development stings even more and is ultimately more costly.
So why did Harry fail to develop in New England? Here are five reasons why he ended up a bust.
1, Got off to a bad start as a rookie: Harry’s career in New England got off to a bad start when he was cast aside by Tom Brady because Brady was frustrated with his lack of understanding the playbook. Then to make things worse, Harry got hurt and ended up on the PUP lust to start his rookie season. The time away from the team stunted his development and Harry struggled to gain the trust of the coaching staff and Brady the rest of that season.
2. Covid and Cam: Harry’s development was further stunted by Covid and the quarterback change to Cam Newton. Offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels made a more concerted effort to get Harry involved in the offense early on in his second season but other a couple of big plays, Harry struggled to once again make an impact. It did not help that Cam Newton was the quarterback and was struggling to learn the offense hImself. Newton couldn’t get anyone the ball on a consistent basis and that affected the entire Patriots skill group in 2020.
3. Bad scheme fit: Harry was a bad fit in the Patriots offense. He went from playing in a spread RPO offense in college to a system which required him to read corner leverage and safety alignments and adjust his routes on the move. The Patriots passing game is complicated and Harry never truly felt comfortable playing in the system.
4. Lacked confidence: Harry lacked the confidence to succeed in New England. He was a big fish in a small pond at Arizona State but when he got to the Patriots, the playing field had leveled off. He wasn’t going up against Pac-12 corners anymore. When things got tough in the NFL, Harry lacked the confidence necessary to overcome those things and get better. Instead of rising to the occasion, he disappeared, underperformed and requested a trade.
5. Coaching; I thought the Patriots did a terrible job of coaching Harry. Belichick and the offensive staff did a poor job of developing him. They lost confidence in him early on in his career and never trusted him. That lack of trust showed in the way they were using him. He had become a crack block specialist by the end of tenure here. His lack of a role is an indictment on Harry but also on Belichick and the staff.
Harry finished his career with 57 receptions for 598 yards and four touchdowns. His career star line illustrates just how much of a failure he truly was in New England. He was a busy in every sense of the word.