Reconstructing Harry: Patriots WR May Be Falcons Fit at Tight End

The much-maligned former first-round draft pick of the New England Patriots may find a career revival by way of a positional switch in Atlanta.

When the New England Patriots chose wide receiver N’Keal Harry with the 32nd selection in the 2019 NFL Draft, the team was hoping it had found exactly what it needed most — a big-bodied receiver, capable of making athletic, contested catches in tough situations.

Unfortunately, things have not exactly gone according to plan.

However, Harry’s apparent inability to fit with New England may open the door for another team to secure his services, and perhaps better utilize his skill set.

Might the Atlanta Falcons be that team?

Despite the high expectations surrounding his arrival in the league, Harry has had little impact over his first three seasons. Hampered by injuries during his first two years with the Pats, the Arizona State product has appeared in only 35 of a possible 50 games, including two playoff contests. Throughout the course of his Patriots tenure, he caught only 59 combined passes for 619 yards and four touchdowns. Harry also carried the football eight times for 56 yards, never elevating himself into a starting role within the New England offense.

After a solid start to training camp in 2021, Harry was sidelined for the start of the season, when the wideout suffered an injury to his shoulder, during the second quarter of the Pats’ preseason matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles. Upon his return, he actually saw more action as a blocker in the running game rather than a pass catcher. Harry was asked to block on 53 percent of his offensive snaps, finishing with a mere 12 catches for 184 yards.

In April, the Patriots decided to decline the $12.4 million fifth-year option in Harry’s rookie contract. He was present neither for last month’s informal throwing sessions hosted by quarterback Mac Jones in Tampa, nor the start of the Patriots offseason workout program on April 18. Throughout OTAs, the former Sun Devil was nowhere to be found. Though Harry was present for New England’s mandatory minicamp from June 7-8, he spent much of his time practicing with the team’s third-string and scout team units.

Based on the evidence, Harry’s days in a Patriots uniform seem to be numbered. However, a recent musing from ESPN may pave the path for Harry to resurrect his career elsewhere.

“Harry’s best chance might be to ask about a possible switch to tight end to compete with [Patriots tight ends] Devin Asiasi and Dalton Keene as TE3 behind Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith,” Reiss wrote.

While the argument is clearly focused on New England, Harry’s potential move to the tight end position may make some sense, especially in Atlanta.

Though few would question his ability to make catches in tight coverage, Harry has struggled with achieving separation from his opponent. Therefore, he has yet to become a formidable one-on-one matchup for his defender.

Yet, as a tight end, Harry’s physical style of play may help to mitigate his shortcomings as a vertical threat.

In his proposed new role, Harry would provide the physical frame to work as a situational target, primarily in the red zone. He has also shown himself capable of running routes with more precision to place himself in better positioning to make plays in the open field. At 6-4, 225 pounds, Harry’s size and strength could make him an effective weapon in short yardage situations, in both receiver and tight end packages. He has also demonstrated notable prowess as a blocker, which might make him an intriguing complement to Falcons’ star tight end Kyle Pitts.

In the wake of wideout Calvin Ridley’s exit from the 2021 season, Pitts became the Falcons’ primary offensive weapon. The rookie truly was Atlanta’s most productive receiver [compiling 1026 yards] and second-most productive offensive player in total yardage behind hybrid rusher/receiver Cordarelle Patterson [1166 yards]. Pitts was also a potent deep threat pass catcher, averaging 15.1 yards per reception. For all of his success, however, Pitts struggled to be productive in the red zone. He was targeted infrequently and caught only one touchdown. He routinely faced double [and at times, triple] coverage in the end zone. Harry’s size and contested catch ability provide him the opportunity to be a scoring target, when Pitts is otherwise compromised.

Considering Falcons’ head coach Arthur Smith’s penchant for the tight end position, the concept of acquiring Harry for late-round draft capital is not without merit. Alongside Pitts, Harry would potentially join fellow tight ends Anthony Firkser, Parker Hesse, John FitzPatrick and possibly Feleipe Franks on Atlanta’s tight end depth chart. However, Harry is still a receiver at heart, and could prove to be a target in short-yardage, contested situations for Falcons’ quarterback Marcus Mariota.

Sometimes, a promising player needs but a second chance to prove his worth at the pro-level. Despite his drawbacks, Harry may be exactly what the Falcons need — and vice versa.