Patriots WR appears to be skipping start of team’s offseason program originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
N’Keal Harry appears to be on island time at an inopportune time.
Judging by Harry’s Instagram story, the fourth-year wide receiver was nowhere near Gillette Stadium for the beginning of the offseason program for the New England Patriots this week.
While the program is voluntary — Tom Brady took advantage of that over his final two seasons in New England — Harry’s absence speaks volumes about where he stands on the depth chart following three disappointing seasons to begin his NFL career.
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Already behind Jakobi Meyers, Kendrick Bourne and Nelson Agholor, the Patriots added veteran DeVante Parker earlier in the offseason in yet another move which serves as an indictment of the selection of Harry as the 32nd overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft.
Through three NFL seasons, Harry has caught only 57 passes for 598 yards and four touchdowns, failing to click with either Brady, Cam Newton or, most recently, Mac Jones. Despite being the second wide receiver off the board in 2019, Harry ranks 10th in receptions among receivers selected that year and 11th in yards — and that doesn’t include Meyers, whom the Patriots signed as an undrafted free agent in 2019.
On a day in which Deebo Samuel, one of several notable names drafted after Harry in 2019, has reportedly requested a trade from the San Francisco 49ers, it’s another reminder of how badly the Patriots botched the Harry pick. Sure, New England could acquire Samuel from the 49ers — at what will likely be a high asking price — but the Patriots could’ve had Samuel all along…just like they could have had D.K. Metcalf, Terry McLaurin, A.J. Brown, Diontae Johnson or several other receivers who’ve produced far more than Harry to date.