New England Patriots: N’Keal Harry and his grind towards success

New England Patriots wide receiver N’Keal Harry is not comparing himself to D.K. Metcalf or any other receiver selected in the 2019 NFL Draft.

New England Patriots second-year wide receiver N’Keal Harry has only played 11 regular-season games in his young NFL career and has already taken much criticism due to his lack of production in those 11 games.

Unfair? No. But the that criticism is understandable given that Harry was a first-round pick in 2019, a year where many of the receivers taken after him have been impactful for the team’s that selected them.

Whether it’s Seattle Seahawks rising star D.K. Metcalf, Tennessee Titans receiver A.J. Brown or even Las Vegas Raiders playmaker Hunter Renfrow, Patriots fans have seen these young studs perform and are still waiting for a player selected higher than many of them still looking to make his mark in the league.

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With just 30 catches for 271 yards and three touchdowns in those 11 games, the patience is wearing, but he is just 22 years old and knows his patch to greatness is fueled on hard work and a continued dedication to get better. In that respect, he’s now comparing himself to the other wide receivers taken in that 2019 draft.

"“No, I can’t compare my situation to anybody else,” Harry said when asked if he compares himself to those players, via NESN. “Just like D.K. can’t compare his situation to A.J. and A.J. can’t really compare his situation to D.K. We’re all in different positions so…When I sit there, I’m extremely happy for those guys. I was training with them pre-draft, so I know how much work they put in and I have a lot of respect for the way they grind.“I’ve never been the type to just sit there and say, ‘Why hasn’t that happened for me?’ I know I’m in a different situation, and I’m just going to just, every day, go out there and work on ways to improve and stay patient and trust God’s timing. That’s my philosophy.”"

It’s a good philosophy to have as it typically takes longer for Patriots rookies to find their way. Would players like Metcalf, Brown, Deebo Samuel or Mecole Hardman have similar success in New England? It’s possible, but they would’ve been catching the ball from Tom Brady in their rookie seasons like Harry. Historically, it takes time for Brady to trust rookie receivers or new receivers in the offense period.

Not to put all the blame on Tom Brady, but Harry really hasn’t really had time to find his way. He hasn’t had the time it takes to build off both his success and mistakes as an NFL player. There has been flashes that he can be that big, reliable target the New England Patriots need him to be. But typically, that is followed by a reminder that he has a way to go.

Hopefully, for N’Keal Harry, having a quarterback and cheerleader like Cam Newton will help him find that consistency. Until that does show on the field, Harry is modeling the Patriot Way and just doing what the team needs him to do to win football games.

"“My mindset is doing whatever coach needs me to do,” Harry continued. “At the end of the day, I’m not too worried about personal stats and stuff like that. I’m worried about getting a win. I hate losing. I hate losing more than I love winning, so that’s my No. 1 goal, to win the game and do whatever I can to help us win the game.”"

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With 18 catches for 166 yards and a touchdown in four games played, N’Keal Harry does have something to build on going forward. As the trust continues to build, as the confidence continues to rise, so will the targets and perhaps by the end of the 2020 NFL season, we’ll be talking about the New England Patriots receiver as one of the success stories of that 2019 NFL Draft.

Perhaps then, Patriots fans would stop drooling over D.K Metcalf, wondering what could’ve been.

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