Dynasty Fantasy Football Rookie Update: N’Keal Harry, WR NE

Levi Chappell Posted On June 6, 2019

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Name: N’Keal Harry

Position: Wide Receiver

Pro Team: New England Patriots

College Team: Arizona State Sun Devils

Draft Status: Round one, 32nd overall

Video Highlights

Strengths

Wins most 50/50 balls
Very strong hands
Good college production over three seasons
Uses patience and subtleness on routes
Great mix of speed and size
Uses size and agility well after the catch
Boxes out cornerbacks with ease
Underrated as a run blocker

Weaknesses

Can struggle in press coverage
Lacks high-end speed
Needs to work on route running

Opportunities

Harry broke onto the scene in his sophomore year when he had over 80 catches, over 1,100 yards, and eight touchdowns. He followed that up with a very good junior year, which resulted in him being the second wide receiver taken in the 2019 NFL draft.

If you wanted Harry to land in a spot that would give him the opportunity to make an impact from day one, I’m not sure you could have hand-picked it better. The Patriots let Chris Hogan walk, Rob Gronkowski retired, Josh Gordon is still suspended, Demaryius Thomas is at the tail-end of his career and coming off of an injury, and Phillip Dorsett has never put “it” together. Julian Edelman is the only constant among receivers which should allow Harry to walk through the door and take over WR2 duties on his new team.

The Patriots do not draft offensive skill position players in the first round often, so something must be said about Belichick and company believing in him and selecting him with a coveted first-round pick. He was rated much higher on their board than 32 overall.

Threats

Honestly, there isn’t much in the form of a threat. The worst-case scenario for Harry would be if Gronkowski comes back from retirement, and Gordon is reinstated. Even then, he is still probably a starter and makes a decent impact. Both of those scenarios seem far fetched at the moment, and Harry’s playing time/impact should not be in question.

Short-Term Expectations

As much as I like the possibility of “what could be” for Harry, I am trying to be conservative for short term expectations. Brady and Belichick do a great job of moving the ball around and playing team ball. It is one of the reasons they have won Super Bowl after Super Bowl even when they lose key components on offense and defense. Harry will be a starter from week one, and there are some available targets in the offense thanks to the departures of the mentioned Gronk and Hogan.

I would expect Harry to finish in the WR3 range, with low-end WR2 upside in his rookie year.

Long-Term Expectations

Here is where I like Harry quite a bit. I am not sure if Jarrett Stidham is “the guy” to carry the torch once Brady is gone. But I am sure that the offense will be built around guys like Sony Michel and Harry moving forward. He can be a cornerstone player for a franchise for the next decade.

Harry’s DLF ADP falls right around 40, and I would not be surprised to see him crack the top 30 before years end, and eventually be a top 25 player.

NFL Player Comparison

From day one, my high-end comp for him has always been Dez Bryant. Harry is a bit taller, but both have similar body types, play physical with defenders, and excel at the 50/50 ball. Neither player will burn you down the sideline, but the subtle nuances to their games make them really tough to defend. My low-end comp would be Allen Robinson.

When I watch him play, I see a talent on the field that many players and teams just can’t guard. You can play perfect defense, and he will still come up with the ball due to his strong hands and jumping ability, similar to Dez back in the day (and before you get into a debate with me, it was a catch). I expect Harry to be the alpha dog for the Patriots within a year or two.

Projected Rookie Draft Range

Per DLF Rookie ADP, Harry is being drafted as the first rookie off the board as the 1.01 pick. In some drafts, he’s slid to the second pick. In some rare cases, I have seen him slip to the third pick. Out of the ten DLF rookie mock drafts, he was selected first nine times, and second once.

He has been my 1.01 pick for a while now because of his safe floor and large amount of upside. He has high draft capital associated with his name after being selected in the first round, and he was drafted by the best run organization in the NFL. It is hard to argue against picking him first overall.

In DLF’s ADP he sits at #40, sandwiched between two Ram’s receivers (Woods #39, Kupp #41). If I had the 1.01 pick in a rookie draft, I would select Harry without hesitating. You now have a receiver you can build your team around.

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Levi Chappell

Contributor at Dynasty League Football

Fueled by coffee, Levi spends most of his days in the real estate industry. When not in the real estate world, he is engulfed in dynasty and other sports. When other kids were playing with lincoln logs and legos, Levi was reading sports almanacs... for fun. "Too much fantasy" is not in his vocabulary.