Jakobi Meyers didn’t just sign with the New England Patriots the same year they drafted N’Keal Harry in the first round. He signed with the Patriots because they drafted Harry in the first round.
On the latest episode of Kyle Van Noy’s “Elite Eatz” web series, Meyers told the Patriots linebacker that, when he was mulling his next move as an undrafted free agent in 2019, he specifically chose the interested team that had used the highest pick on a receiver in that year’s NFL draft.
That team happened to be the Patriots, who’d selected Harry with the final pick in the first round (32nd overall).
“So this is a story that I’ve never told anybody in my life,” Meyers said. “And you know N’Keal is my brother. I love N’Keal. We be with each other every day. But when it came down to picking teams, I had a couple teams. So I looked at all the teams who offered me, and it’s: did they draft a receiver? And if they drafted a receiver, where did they draft him?
“The highest-drafted that was a receiver was the Patriots, and I said, so if they drafted a receiver in the first round, I’m going to go in there and show them I could play with a first-rounder. I was just kind of betting on myself.”
That bet paid off.
Meyers made the Patriots’ 53-man roster as a rookie and has been the team’s No. 1 receiver since midway through his second season, maintaining that status even after New England added veterans Nelson Agholor and Kendrick Bourne in free agency this past spring. The 25-year-old has seen 102 targets from quarterback Mac Jones this season — twice as many as any other Patriots pass-catcher — and leads the team with a career-high 65 receptions for 664 yards and one touchdown.
Harry, meanwhile, has scuffled through his three pro seasons, battling injuries and inconsistency. He’s been able to use his 6-foot-4, 225-pound frame to become an asset in the run game and on occasional downfield throws this season (16.9 yards per catch), but he has just 10 catches in 10 games since returning from injured reserve in October.
