'Poor Kid!:' Herm Edwards Explains N'Keal Harry's Patriots Bust

N'Keal Harry is one of several first-round busts for the New England Patriots.

Aug 19, 2021; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; New England Patriots wide receiver N'Keal Harry (15) / Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

in a way, N'Keal Harry is emblematic of what caused the New England Patriots dynasty to come crumbling down.

During the latter years of the dynasty, New England continously struggled to add young talent through the draft, especially in the first round. In fact, the Patriots didn't draft a single Pro Bowler in the first round from 2013 to 2021.

Additionally, the Patriots failed to surround Tom Brady with receiving talent. Harry did little to help that problem, especially considering that stars such as Deebo Samuel, A.J. Brown and DK Metcalf were drafted after him.

Aug 19, 2021; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; New England Patriots wide receiver N'Keal Harry (15) / Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Even though he didn't pan out in the NFL, Harry was still a first-round pick for a reason. The Toronto native put up at least 1,000 yards and eight touchdowns in back-to-back seasons at Arizona State, so he obviously caught the eye of scouts.

For Herm Edwards, who coached Harry during his final season at Arizona State, the receiver had the talent to succeed in the NFL, but external factors brought him down.

“He had too many followers, man. That’s what killed him. That poor kid,” Edwards told Tyler Dunne of "Go Long." “He had hanger-on’ers. And it was like, ‘C’mon, N’Keal.’ Because talent-wise? He’s got enough talent. He’s a big, strong physical receiver to catch the ball. And then he went to New England. That was the worst place for him to go because it just didn’t fit. That didn’t fit him.”

Harry fit the bill for a big-body receiver, as he stood at 6-2 and 228 pounds with a 38.5-inch vertical jump. Like Edwards said, though, talent and intangibles can only carry someone so far.

“Talent sometimes can be a curse. I’ve always said that. If you don’t use it correctly, it could be a curse to you,” Edwards said. “You’ve got so much talent and you think, ‘I got this.’ You ain’t got it. Because the problem is, you’re going into a league where everybody’s got talent and you’ve got to work at it.

“You’ve got to have work ethic. You’ve got to focus in on football. Football’s got to be the No. 1 thing. It can’t be what football provides you.”

In his three seasons with New England, Harry caught 57 passes for 598 yards and four touchdowns. The Patriots traded him to the Chicago Bears for just a seventh-round pick in July of 2022, and he is now with the Minnesota Vikings.