New England Patriots Were ‘Worst Place’ for 2019 First-Round Pick, According to his CFB Coach

While former Sun Devils head coach Herm Edwards only coached N’Keal Harry for one year in 2018, he still had much to say about why he didn’t succeed in the NFL. In an article from Sporting News, Edwards says the New England Patriots were a bad spot for Harry.

“He had too many followers, man. That’s what killed him. That poor kid,” Edwards said. “He had hanger-on’ers. And it was like, ‘C’mon, N’Keal.’ Because talent-wise? He’s got enough talent. He’s a big, strong physical receiver to catch the ball. And then he went to New England. That was the worst place for him to go because it just didn’t fit. That didn’t fit him.

“Talent sometimes can be a curse. I’ve always said that. If you don’t use it correctly, it could be a curse to you. You’ve got so much talent and you think, ‘I got this.’ You ain’t got it. Because the problem is, you’re going into a league where everybody’s got talent and you’ve got to work at it. You’ve got to have work ethic. You’ve got to focus in on football. Football’s got to be the No. 1 thing. It can’t be what football provides you.”

Harry, who missed the majority of his rookie season due to injury, never blossomed in the NFL despite playing with legendary quarterback Tom Brady. His best season, 2020, saw him amass 309 receiving yards on 33 receptions.

After that season, Harry never had more than 12 receptions, and he never broke the 200-yard mark. While Edwards partially blames the Patriots, Harry failed to succeed with the Chicago Bears and the Vikings.

He had seven receptions for 116 yards with the Bears in 2022 and didn’t record a single stat for the Vikings in 2023. Harry has five career touchdowns and seems to be on the tail end of his career despite being just 26-years-old.

N’Keal Harry was a star at Arizona State before the New England Patriots drafted him

N’Keal Harry showed NFL size and physical prowess during his time at Arizona State. He had over 1,000 yards receiving in each of his last two years with the Sun Devils.

He finished his college career with 2,889 yards receiving and 22 receiving touchdowns. At 6-foot-4, Harry’s size and athleticism had him touted as one of the best receivers in the 2019 NFL Draft.

Harry performed so well in college that he was taken over receivers like Deebo Samuel, D.K. Metcalf, A.J. Brown and Terry McLaurin in the 2019 NFL Draft. The only receiver taken ahead of him was Marquise “Hollywood” Brown.

Harry is still young enough to have a career resurgence, but with multiple changes of scenery already in the past it seems unlikely.