N’Keal Harry had what his college coaches called “the look” during Arizona State’s game against USC in 2018. With the Sun Devils clinging to a three-point lead in the fourth quarter, Harry bore an expression that he gets when he’s really feeling himself.
“N’Keal will get a look in his eye, and I don’t care if he’s double covered, you need to throw it to him on that play,” Sun Devils offensive coordinator Rob Likens said in a phone interview with Patriots Wire. “He gets that look in his eye that you just throw that ball up. I don’t care how many guys are on him — he’ll come down with it. That’s just that special quality that he has.”
It’s one of the many qualities that led the New England Patriots to select Harry 32nd overall in the 2019 NFL Draft. In the fourth quarter of that USC game, Harry hopped on the headphones to communicate with Likens.
“Coach, I’m telling you, just throw the ball up in the air and I will catch it,” Harry said.
“Are you sure? Because we can’t go three-and-out,” Likens replied.
“Coach, just throw the ball up, and I will catch it,” Harry said.
Likens looked at his playbook, which features 18 to 20 plays designed specifically to get Harry the ball for every game, and identified a play that should work. On that play, quarterback Manny Wilkins saw the one-on-one matchup between Harry and Trojans cornerback Iman Marshall, and Wilkins lofted a ball in Harry’s direction. In a blur, Harry spun to catch the ball, but the throw was nowhere near his back-shoulder. So while falling backward, Harry extended his right arm and hauled in a finger-tip, one-handed grab.
“That catch, contorting his body, that’s another unique quality to twist and bend his body to contort for ball-adjustment,” Arizona State receivers coach Charlie Fisher said. “As a big guy, that’s not easy to do.”
It was one of the most impressive catches in college football last season.
“When the bright light comes on, he runs to the light, not the shade,” Arizona State coach Herm Edwards said.
Harry finished that 38-35 win over USC with four receptions for 95 yards and one receiving touchdown with 103 punt return yards, including a 92-yard return score. The game put on display what Harry had been doing for much of his college career — and what he might soon be doing in the NFL.
Earlier in 2018, Edwards had taken over as the coach at Arizona State by replacing the previous coach, Todd Graham. Edwards made a point of calling in the best three offensive players. When he met with Harry, Edwards handed the receiver a thick booklet.
“This is what you’re going to have to learn,” Edwards told Harry.
Harry looked at it, unsure of what it was. Edwards explained: It was an NFL playbook. For 2018, Harry had to tackle Edwards’ playbook. But together, they were going to prepare the receiver to be ready to tackle the NFL when the time came. The coach then explained that Harry was going to have to do things a little differently than he’d done them in the past. Edwards wanted Harry to improve as a run blocker. Harry also needed to spend more time moving around the offensive formation, including extended time in the slot, which would make it easier for the Sun Devils to get him the ball. Finally, he needed a mentality tweak.
“I don’t want you to be an emotional player. I want you to be a passionate player, because emotional players lose their poise,” Edwards said. “And you can’t lose your poise. It affects the whole team, especially on the field.”
They were working off a solid foundation with Harry, who was already athletically gifted, which he showed at the 2019 NFL combine when he measured in at 6-foot-3, 230 pounds while logging a 38.5-inch vertical and a 4.53 40-yard dash. He’d posted a 1,000-yard season in 2017, and demonstrated the ability to handle immense defensive attention. He had strong hands and was extremely dangerous after the catch.
His final college season was about taking his game to another level. The coaches all made that clear: He was the team’s best offensive playmaker. They were going to treat him like that. He was used to high expectations, considering he was one of the top high school recruits at his position. He’ll have to face similarly high expectations in New England. Bill Belichick has never drafted a receiver as high as he took Harry at No. 32 overall.
“It means the world to me,” Harry said after the first round of the draft. “For him to have that much faith in me and to have that much trust in me, it just makes me want to work that much harder. So, I’m going to come in with a workhouse mindset and get better every day.”
When Harry received the draft-day call from Belichick, who informed Harry he was the Patriots’ pick on Thursday, the young man embraced his grandmother, who raised him in Arizona, and began to sob. Their relationship is profound, according to his coaches, because Harry didn’t see his mother, who lived in St. Vincent and the Grenandines, from ages 3 to 21. Finally, Harry and his mother were reunited before his final bowl game in 2018. His relationship with his grandmother is why he decided to go to Arizona State, even though he had offers from powerhouse SEC schools. Harry wanted to take care of her, and stay near her. “He’s got a huge heart,” Likens said. It appears that heart shows up on and off the field.
His relentlessness showed in 2018 when he had 73 receptions for 1,088 yards and nine touchdown catches. During that time period, he played receiver (inside and outside), running back, tight end, h-back, wildcat quarterback and punt returner for the Sun Devils. Belichick and Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels have long enjoyed tinkering with players at their non-traditional position, most recently using receiver Cordarrelle Patterson at running back in 2018.
New England will surely give Harry an opportunity to be a versatile playmaker. The Patriots won’t put any immediate limitations on how they get him the ball, so long as he shows the work ethic and mental aptitude to learn the different positions. But of course, he’ll play receiver, first and foremost, and he’s got plenty of work to do at his natural position. What his viral catch against USC revealed, to some degree, is that he creates separation with his leaping and catching ability. As a route-runner, he’ll need to refine his ability to separate from defensive backs.
“I think it’s going to be so helpful he’s going to be around guys like Edelman,” Likens said. “Edelman makes a living off separation. He wouldn’t be able to exist in the NFL if it wasn’t for separation, because of his size. He had to get open to catch the ball. … Being around somebody like him, is going to be able to watch and learn from every day.”
But Edelman’s tutelage will be good for Harry, if only because they’re so different. Harry would be wise to adopt some of Edelman’s game, but Harry will likely have a much different playing style. For those wondering what Harry might look at that position, his coaches offered a pair of comparisons.
“One that I’ve always given N’Keal is Anquan Boldin, but he’s a faster version of Bolden,” Fisher said. “I think body type, the ability to separate, the hands and the toughness.”
Comparisons are always lofty, and should be taken with a grain of salt, which Harry’s coaches admitted.
Boldin, who’s 6-foot-1 and 210 pounds, finished his career with 13,779 yards and 82 touchdowns, including seven 1,00-yard seasons. In his rookie season, Boldin had 1,377 yards and eight touchdowns in the Arizona Cardinals offense. That would be a win, as far as the Patriots are concerned.
Ready for another lofty comparison?
“Here’s who he is — and I don’t like comparing guys — but he has similar traits to Dez Bryant,” Edwards said. “It’s a similar size. And he has his traits on how he plays the game of football. Dez Bryant — emotional guy, tough guy, will go up and make a lot of tough catches in coverage. Look at N’Keal. Same way. He’s an excellent runner with the ball in his hands. … Strong-legged guy. Great explosion to go up and catch the ball.”
Harry will join the Patriots amid immense pressure. He’s a first-round pick with elite NFL qualities, and yet the Patriots have a history of whiffing on receivers high in the draft. He’ll face scrutiny and high expectations during his tenure in New England. Yet, his catch against USC speaks to why he should thrive witht he Patriots — and why fans may not have to wait long before they see “the look” on the sideline at Gillette Stadium.
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