N’Keal Harry has yet to take the field in a regular-season game for the New England Patriots, but the rookie receiver already has made quite an impression on his teammates — especially those tasked with covering him.
Patriots safety Devin McCourty said the intensity the 6-foot-4, 225-pound Harry brings in practice has led to some consternation among New England’s defensive backs.
“I think he continues to get better,” McCourty said Thursday on WEEI’s “Dale & Keefe.” “One of the things he does a really good job of is playing hard in practice. At times, he pisses off the DBs because he works his butt off — out there blocking, out there getting open. I think that is the good thing about seeing him out there running around.”
Harry, the Patriots’ top pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, returned to practice three weeks ago and was added to the 53-man roster last Saturday after beginning the season on injured reserve. The Arizona State product was eligible to make his NFL debut Sunday night against the Baltimore Ravens, but head coach Bill Belichick opted to hold him out of that game, which New England lost 37-20.
The healthy scratch afforded Harry two additional weeks of practice reps ahead of his potential insertion into the lineup. The Patriots are off this weekend before visiting the Philadelphia Eagles next Sunday.
“It’s hard,” McCourty said of Harry’s progress on WEEI. “When you’re a young guy and you’re a rookie and you miss that much time, you come out there and it’s everything in your game you have to work on. I think as an older guy, that has been exciting to see him there every day after practice just getting work in. He’s doing his best to try and get back out there.”
