It sure feels like N’Keal Harry won’t be with the Patriots come September, but perhaps all hope isn’t lost for the wide receiver in New England.
Harry already had been on the outs in Foxboro, and the Patriots’ acquisition of DeVante Parker and drafting of Tyquan Thornton further suggested New England has very little, if any, faith in the 24-year-old. Harry seemingly knows the writing is on the wall, too, as he did not attend any of the Patriots’ voluntary workouts to date.
Attendance will be mandatory this week when New England holds minicamp. At this juncture, ESPN’s Mike Reiss believes it could benefit Harry to try to get some work in with a different position group.
“Harry, the 2019 first-round pick, is now a long shot to make the roster at his traditional position barring injuries ahead of him on the depth chart,” Reiss wrote in a column published Sunday. “Harry’s best chance might be to ask about a possible switch to tight end to compete with Asiasi and Keene as TE3 behind Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith.”
A move to tight end wouldn’t be impossible for Harry, who is about 25 pounds lighter than the typical player at the position. The Arizona State product was most valuable for the Patriots as a blocker last season, and the talent as a pass-catcher is there somewhere.
That said, a transition of that nature typically is done as a last-ditch effort by a player desperately trying to stay in the NFL. Harry is too young to give up on as a wideout, so his best route probably is attempting to get his career on track with a new team.
