The N'Keal Harry Experience
The addition of N'Keal Harry to the Bears is likely to be a matter of intrigue all year because of how he failed in New England.
Players who get second chances and succeed always are looked at with interest and favor. Those who have been involved with the Patriots are always scrutinized heavily. Whether Harry can succeed may depend greatly on the teaching ability of receivers coach Tyke Tolbert and offensive coordinator Luke Getsy with the Bears.
Fortunately for Harry, both are well known for their ability to get through to athletes. However, no team in the NFL is known for hand-holding and it will be on Harry to take to this coaching.
The reason this is critical was addressed by Pro Football Focus' Doug Kyed in an article and a follow-up mailbag story dealing with Harry. Usually PFF is known for analyzing but Kyed does real reporting here, that is, if you like unnamed sources. If you do, then you'll love this story and also his response in another mailbag to a question about Harry.
There are two legitimate issues listed about why the first-round pick never developed in New England. One was the complicated Patriots offense combined with offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels' impatience. The other was Harry's own inability to get open either through speed or route running.
Kyed produced a Pro Football Focus chart showing Harry to be the ninth worst NFL receiver in the last three years in terms of being open. In this case, open is a step or more of separation. He gained a step or more of separation on only 61.6% of routes run.
Being ninth worst at anything isn't good but you wonder how bad of a handicap this actually is when the list of those worse than Harry were: DeVante Parker (worst, 49.9), Auden Tate (2nd worst, 50.5), Preston Williams (3rd, 50.9), Kenny Golladay (4th, 51.8), A.J. Green (5th, 52.9), Mike Williams (6th, 55.6), Golden Tate (7th, 56.8) and D.J. Chark (8th, 60.0).
There are plenty of successful receivers on this list. Golden Tate has made a career of burning the Bears. Williams just got a three-year, $60 million contract.
So being on this list indicts no one. It's whether they make catches regardless of this inabilty to get separation that counts. Allen Robinson was a king of contested catches with the Bears and his inability to gain yards after the catch resulted from the combination of his lack of separation and the poor offensive system. He still made 200 receptions in 2019-20.
A source Kyed leaned on said the Patriots knew ahead of time from college that Harry rarely had separation and they only drafted him because Bill Belichick ignored his own scouts and bought what former Arizona State coach Todd Graham was selling about his player.
The other issue with Harry had to do with what was described as an offense among the league's most complicated. While there was mention by some sources of Harry lacking commitment to learn it or ability to communicate, the story pointed out one ironclad fact not translated through unnamed sources: The Patriots rarely drafted receivers who succeeded within their offense over the years.
Of 19 receivers drafted, only three started more than 20 games, Kyed wrote, and eight of the 19 were picked in the first three rounds of the draft. Deion Branch, Julian Edelman and David Givens were the rare Patriots successes at receiver.
What this seems to indicate was McDaniels and former quarterback Tom Brady over the years had devised and revised their own offense, an intricate and morphing system, and very few young players fresh out of college immediately understood it.
Then again, it isn't like there are numerous examples of receivers who came to New England, failed to understand the system but then went elsewhere and succeeded wildly in easier systems.
Kyed's story did not point this out, but of those players drafted, the following flopped and then never achieved success anywhere:
Chad Jackson (14 NFL catches), Bethel Johnson (39 catches 4 years), Brandon Tate (71 catches, 4 teams, 10 years), Josh Boyce (9 career catches, 2 seasons), P.K. Sam (2 NFL games, no catches), Aaron Dobson (24 NFL games, 53 receptions), Jeremy Ebert (5 career games, 3 catches), Jeremy Gallon (never played), Taylor Price (11 career games, 5 catches), Devin Lucien (never played).
The Patriots have been able to work in numerous successful free agent receivers over the years, so perhaps the Belichick and the Patriots personnel department just can't figure out what a good receiver is at a rookie level, and it's not really the McDaniels/Brady system.
Regardless, it's unwise to expect Harry to be the player dispensed by New England who goes elsewhere to have great success. There haven't been many of these. Braxton Berrios might be one, as he has 89 catches in three Jets seasons after being a sixth-round Patriots pick, but there simply isn't enough evidence on him yet.
The past is irrelevant now for Harry. This was merely a move the Bears made to see what they can get out of a former first-round pick, and considering their lack of proven success at receiver just about anyone they bring in is a welcome addition.
If Harry succeeds or fails, it will be on him now. Belichick, McDaniels and the Patriots are no longer his problem.
Twitter: BearDigest@BearsOnMaven
