A Slimmer N'Keal Harry Is Ready to Improve on Lackluster Rookie Season

N'Keal Harry undoubtedly had a rough rookie season.

After being the 32nd overall selection in the 2019 NFL Draft, Harry began the 2019 regular season on injured reserve. Once he returned in Week 10 of the regular season, over the ensuing eight games he mustered up just 12 receptions for 105 yards and two touchdowns.

Harry's lack of production during the second half of the season wasn't because of injury. His inability to create separation from defensive backs caused offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels to have to design plays that gave the Arizona State product the ball in his hands with lots of green grass in front of him. Pair that with the fact that he struggled learning the offense, and Harry was far from what New England needed last year.

"There's a lot of things about this offense that can be hard to pick up at first, a lot of little details that a lot of guys don't have to pay attention to in college," Harry said Tuesday during a video conference with the media. "This second year has helped me a lot, just in the offseason getting to study some things, knowing the offense a lot more, so when I came back I felt very comfortable with it."

But Harry didn't just study the playbook this offseason. He also worked to improve his athletic ability. The facet of his game that he felt he needed to improve on the most was his footwork, which will help him run better routes and create more separation against defensive backs. That's why he asked for help from Rischad Whitfield, aka "The Footwork King," to help him in that area of his play. Harry also lost some weight this offseason. Doing that - as he explained - will help him be more explosive at the top of his routes.

“I was looking forward to it, really right after the playoff game last year,” Harry said. “I took about a week or two off, just to let my body recover, and then I was right back to it. I felt like it was a great opportunity for me to get a step ahead, and just to be at the point where I wanted to be at coming into the season.”

Athlete: @NkealHarry15
Position: Wideout
Team: @Patriots

Footwork.
Short-area quickness.
Suddenness.
Body Control. pic.twitter.com/DvNajXizec
— Footwork_King (@footwork_king1) July 5, 2020

Big expectations will follow Harry this upcoming season. There are many folks in New England who are prepared to write him off as "bust" if he does not perform well in 2020. That's why it's so important for him to take significant strides this year as he tries to become a focal point of New England's offense.

With Cam Newton potentially under center Week 1 for the Patriots, that could bode well for Harry. Newton has a history of utilizing his outside receivers often, which is something Tom Brady didn't do. That means Newton may look to Harry and veteran wideout Mohamed Sanu early and often if he wins the starting job.

While we have yet to see during a game how Harry's offseason regimen and chemistry with the starting quarterback will affect his production, it's certainly promising to see that the former first-round pick is doing everything he can to improve in Year 2.

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