The Washington Football Team is elated with its big free-agent signing of receiver Curtis Samuel to pair with budding star Terry McLaurin. But should that stockpile be enough to ignore the reported availability on the trade market of a young former first-round wideout?
The WFT is reportedly “monitoring” the availability of wide receiver N’Keal Harry in trade.
The Pats are reportedly seeking at least a fourth-round draft pick in return for the 23-year-old Arizona State product, who was selected in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft by Bill Belichick’s team.
The upside: Why not roll the dice on a prospect who still has all of the physical tools that made him so draft-worthy? He is 6-4 and 225 pounds, so he can in theory out-muscle and out-reach most defenders. He supposedly has 4.5 speed, so he should be able to win matchups in that manner as well.
And … if Harry was in this year’s draft, he’d go way higher than the fourth round, right?
The downside: He’s had two years to make something happen; a receiver should be able to do more sooner. The numbers are not there in terms of production, as Harry is coming off a 2020 season in which he contributed only 33 catches for 309 yards and two touchdowns.
Was that all because his 2020 QB, Cam Newton, isn’t much of a thrower? Maybe, though Harry played with Tom Brady as a rookie and totaled just 12 catches after missing the first two months of the season due to an ankle injury.
In the end, this is a sort of buyer-beware set-up, not just as it involves N’Keal Harry, but also as it involves Bill Belichick. Not that the legendary Patriots boss is error-free, but … if he can’t make the Harry situation work, what makes his next coach think he’ll be the guy who can do so?
READ MORE: Curtis Samuel, With Terry McLaurin, Adds Speed & Versatility