The New England Patriots are coming off their worst season in over a decade. After making it to at least the AFC Championship Game in every season since 2011, the Patriots went one-and-done against the Tennessee Titans. The biggest reason for this disappointing finish was the lackluster offense. Tom Brady took a minor step back, but the offensive weapons were arguably the worst in the league. Julian Edelman and Mohamed Sanu are both on the wrong side of 30 and coming off serious injuries, so hope for the 2020 Patriots mostly lies in 2019 first-round pick N’Keal Harry.
Harry had a truly disastrous rookie season by just about every measure, but his career is far from over. While he may not ever be as good as someone like A.J. Brown, there is a way for him to improve and be a reliable part of this offense.
How A N’Keal Harry Breakout Can Happen
Play Him in the Slot
N’Keal Harry is never going to be the type of guy that wins his routes with separation. Harry finished the year ranked dead last in separation, and that probably wasn’t a fluke. Harry’s biggest weakness coming out of school was his inability to separate, and it’s hard to see that improving against significantly better competition.
Despite his size, Harry actually struggles to win against press on the outside. This is a troublesome flaw, but it doesn’t mean he can’t be effective at the NFL level. The best way to beat press coverage is to avoid it altogether by going into the slot. Slot cornerbacks tend to be smaller than their outside counterparts, and it’s harder to play press when the receiver can go in just about any direction. Now that Harry can easily get off the line of scrimmage, he can use his big body to consistently outmuscle defenders and become a reliable part of the passing attack. Anquan Boldin had a fantastic career as a big slot receiver, and Harry can follow this blueprint to NFL success.
Scheme N’Keal Harry Into Space
N’Keal Harry’s best feature is what he can do in the open field. His college tape is a non-stop highlight reel of making defenders miss and picking up yards after the catch. Unfortunately, in order to make plays in the open field, one must first get open. As we discussed earlier, that isn’t exactly Harry’s biggest strength.
This is where Josh McDaniels comes in. McDaniels is one of the better offensive coordinators in the league and knows how to create scheme plays into open space. Back in 2018, he milked some production out of Cordarrelle Patterson by creating quick, easy throws into open space and letting Patterson do the rest. Now that Harry isn’t coming back from injury, McDaniels should be able to use these plays with Harry.
Throw It To Him Anyway
N’Keal Harry is one of those guys that is always open, even when he’s blanketed in coverage. Quite simply, there aren’t many cornerbacks out there equipped to stop a 6’2” receiver weighing 228 pounds with 33” arms. Harry flashed the ability to make plays even when covered last year, and he should only improve during his second year in the league.
If there’s any quarterback in the league that has experience with big receivers that can’t separate, it’s Cam Newton. The Panthers spent the majority of the post-Steve Smith era trying to surround Newton with these big-bodied physical freaks. While these were actually Newton’s least-efficient seasons, the fact that he’s experienced with these types of players should increase his willingness to chuck it up and hope Harry makes a play.
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