New England Patriots: 3 big reasons N’Keal Harry can still shine

N’Keal Harry has a maturity element to his character

The New England Patriots usually target players in the draft who are smart, have high football IQ and display maturity.

When you look at N’Keal Harry, he is not the most talented player from that 2019 NFL Draft class nor has he demonstrated a high IQ on the football field as evidence by mistakes in the last two games, but he seems to have the maturity to learn from his current woes.

While fans are caught up in what Bill Belichick and the Patriots could’ve had if they drafted D.K. Metcalf or even a player in the later rounds like Terry McLaurin or Andy Isabella, Harry is not worried about what those other players are doing.  He is just focused on his own growth path.

Demoted to the No. 3 receiver on the depth chart, fellow wide receiver Jakobi Meyers says he has witnessed nothing but a professional attitude in Harry even as the criticism grows and actual snaps on the field decreases.

"“N’Keal’s my dawg, but at the same time, he’s a professional,” Meyers said Wednesday, as transcribed by Yahoo! Sports.  “He understands that he can either handle it two ways.  Either he can pout about it and be in a situation that nobody wants him to be in, honestly, or he can keep doing what he’s doing, come out here, keep practicing well and doing his thing every day showing up.  Keep showing that he’ll be reliable whenever his chance is called or whenever the team needs him.”"

That professionalism will go a long way in his development on the field.  All he needs is more games like his Week 2 production against the Seattle Seahawks to really put it all together.

While he may not be the athlete D.K. Metcalf is, if N’Keal Harry simply reaches his potential as an Anquan Boldin type, New England Patriots fans would certainly take that.  And though most of those fans are ready to give up on the Arizona State product, the most important thing is he is not giving up on himself.