What N’Keal Harry said about joining the Patriots
"Whatever they need me to do or want me to do, I’ll get on it right away.’’
The NFL draft can be an emotional experience for those waiting to be picked, particularly for those who are not sure what round they’ll be chosen, not mention which team will select them.
Arizona State wide receiver N’Keal Harry was projected as a late first round to second round pick by most scouting reports, and as the first round was drawing to a close Thursday night, Harry was thinking his name might not be called.
“I started to get really nervous, especially after the Patriots were up, and the broadcasters were saying that the Patriots haven’t picked a wide receiver in the first round in however many years,’’ Harry told NFL Network.
But the Patriots did in fact call, making him the first wide receiver the team has selected in the first round in the Bill Belichick era, and the first taken in the first round since they selected Terry Glenn in 1996. Harry watched the draft in Scottsdale, Ariz., surrounded by family and friends when he got the call.
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“It was so surreal, especially for me, waiting that long and getting to the end of the first round,’’ Harry said after he was taken with the 32nd pick. “I was honestly starting to think maybe I had to start getting ready for Day 2. So, when I got that call, I tried not to be emotional, but I couldn’t really hold it back at that point. I just felt so blessed, I was so thankful for the Patriots organization. I was just thanking God and I’m just ready to get to work.’’
The Patriots offered a behind-the-scenes look at the call from Belichick to Harry.
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It didn’t take long for Harry to be asked about playing with Tom Brady. With the departures of Chris Hogan and Cordarrelle Patterson in free agency, Harry figures to have an opportunity to step in and become one of Brady’s top targets.
“I’m extremely excited. I’m just ecstatic to come in, work hard, constantly improve and just live up to the expectations,’’ said Harry.
Brady seemed to share in that excitement, tweeting “Glad to have you N’Keal. Big things ahead, excited to work with you.’’
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Harry had a visit with the Patriots leading up to the draft, and said it went really well.
“I just feel like the way I retained some of the information as far as some of the plays they were going over with me. Also, I just felt like coming in, I’ll be expected to know a lot and be prepared, and I’m ready for that,’’ he said.
Herm Edwards, his coach at Arizona State, compared him to Dez Bryant. Harry already sounds like a Patriot when asked questions about whom he models his game after.
“It’s hard to say. I have a lot of respect for everybody that has played at the NFL level,’’ he said. “I have so much to learn, I have so much to handle coming into the game, coming into the NFL. It’s hard to really give a comparison.’’
The 6-foot-2-inch, 228-pounder said he is ready to get to work and learn the offense.
“It’s all on what the coaches want from me,’’ Harry said. “I’m going to come in with the mindset of being very coachable. I’ve always been a very coachable player, just picking up on things very quickly. Whatever they need me to do or want me to do, I’ll get on it right away.’’
