The New England Patriots presumably will shop N’Keal Harry in wake of the wide receiver publicly requesting a trade via his agent earlier this week.
Which begs the question: What can the Patriots realistically expect to receive in return for Harry, a 2019 first-round draft pick who has underperformed through two seasons in the NFL?
Well, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler spoke with an NFL executive who believes Harry will be worth a conditional sixth-round pick on the trade market.
This obviously is underwhelming when you consider New England selected Harry 32nd overall, ahead of fellow wideouts A.J. Brown, DK Metcalf and Terry McLaurin, among others. But Harry simply has not been productive, while also showing very few flashes of his potential, and any team that trades for the 23-year-old also would need to absorb the final two years of his rookie contract.
That said, Fowler notes that teams are expected to have interest. So, perhaps a market will materialize in the coming weeks, and the saga will culminate with a trade to an organization looking for a young, high-upside wideout seemingly capable of making catches in traffic.
Harry, an Arizona State product, totaled 33 catches (on 57 targets) for 309 yards with two touchdowns in 14 games in 2020. He had just 12 receptions (on 24 targets) for 105 yards with two TDs in 2019.
The Patriots don’t necessarily need to move on from Harry, especially if they anticipate a bigger role for him in 2021 and still believe in his ability to flourish at some point. But it could be hard to put the toothpaste back in the tube after the statement Harry’s agent released Tuesday.
