N’Keal Harry used his physicality to outmuscle Los Angeles Chargers cornerback Chris Harris and haul in a 5-yard touchdown pass this past Sunday.
He hopes he can deliver similar plays in the weeks to come.
The New England Patriots wide receiver acknowledged he needs to better utilize his strength and 6-foot-4, 225-pound frame in order to reach his potential as a pass-catcher.
“Yeah, that’s my biggest advantage,” Harry said Tuesday in a video conference. “So it has to be the No. 1 mentality and the No. 1 priority when I go out there. That’s what I tried to do last game, and that’s what I’m going to be doing moving forward.”
Harry, the second receiver and 32nd player selected in the 2019 NFL Draft, has caught just 38 passes for 333 yards and four touchdowns in 17 career games over two seasons.
Eleven receivers from his draft class — a loaded group that includes the likes of D.K. Metcalf, A.J. Brown, Terry McLaurin, Deebo Samuel, Diontae Johnson, Hunter Renfrow and Marquise Brown — have more career receptions than Harry. Fifteen have more receiving yards, and eight have more touchdowns.
Perhaps Sunday’s touchdown can help energize the Arizona State product, who’s been held to two or fewer catches in five of his last six games. Harry also missed two weeks with a concussion and slid below Jakobi Meyers on the depth chart during his absence.
“I just feel like I need to keep building week by week and game by game,” Harry said. “I don’t feel like I absolutely needed (the touchdown). It was a good feeling, and it was good to contribute again and to help the team get the win.”
Harry finished with two catches on three targets for 15 yards in the Patriots’ 45-0 demolition of the Chargers. He and the rest of New England’s receiving corps will face a tough challenge this week against a Jalen Ramsey-led Los Angeles Rams secondary that leads the NFL in passing yards allowed per game and per attempt.
“He’s a guy that’s very polished with his technique,” Harry said of Ramsey, a three-time Pro Bowler who’s not afraid to be physical with receivers. “So really, the only way to get off on him is having better technique and better execution. So that’s going to be the key for us this week.”
