N'Keal Harry's Struggles Continued in Second NFL Season

Harry did very little in 2020 to spark hope in Patriots nation

The New England Patriots had one of the more interesting offseasons last year. Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski headed south to Tampa Bay, and Cam Newton signed a one year deal in late June. They also lost a lot of players from COVID-19 opt outs. 

Due to such a complex offense, it was expected that the team would focus mostly on the run game which proved to be true. The backfield was one of the best in the league, finishing fourth overall in total rushing yards with 2,346. 

This certainly contributed to an underwhelming season for Patriots receivers. After Julian Edelman's injury in Week 7, all eyes turned to N'Keal Harry as the player expected to step up. 

However, that was not the case.

WEEI's  Ryan Hannable posted this troubling stat this week regarding Harry's season: 

Julian Edelman recorded six more receiving yards than N'Keal Harry in 2020 despite playing 319 fewer snaps.

— Ryan Hannable (@RyanHannable) January 5, 2021

The 2019 first-round pick had a total of 309 receiving yards this season and two touchdowns, increasing his career totals to 414 yards and four touchdowns. He caught only 33 passes in 2020. 

Although Harry put up big numbers during his collegiate career at Arizona State, his professional career has been lackluster. 

Coming to the NFL is an adjustment for all players. Some shine right away, while others take time to warm up or struggle to achieve success altogether. 

Let's give Harry the benefit of the doubt here. He was plagued with injury his rookie season, and was working with a new quarterback this season who struggled to throw the ball. The Patriots finished 29th overall in passing yards with 3,124. Let's also not forget that the pandemic limited in-person practice time during the offseason as well as during the season. 

But how much can you blame his performance on quarterback chemistry and overall inexperience at the professional level? At what point should the Patriots cut their losses?

N'Keal Harry may prove to be a liability if he can not drastically step up his performance next season, should the Patriots choose to keep him for another year.