2019 NFL Draft: ASU WR N’Keal Harry Scouting Report

Here is my scouting report for N’Keal Harry as he could be a top 5 wide receiver in the 2019 NFL draft class.

What makes the Arizona State junior wide receiver stand out in a deep 2019 wide receiver class? Standing between 6’2″ and 6’4″ at 213 to 225 pounds (height and weight vary on the website pre-combine), Harry is among the bigger receivers in this class and was First Team All- PAC- 12 twice (2017 and 2018). Although he has the height of a true number one receiver on the outside, the 21-year-old Canadian born receiver played in the slot at times and did surprisingly return a punt for a touchdown in 2018.

N’Keal Harry made splash plays during his time at Arizona State and has big-time potential as one of the better wide receivers in this draft class.

The junior wide receiver hauled in 73 catches for 1,098 scrimmage yards and had 10 total touchdowns. He averaged 13.7 yards per play from scrimmage as he was a focal point of the Sun Devil’s offense, although he had a better year in 2017 statistically. In 2017, he had about the same amount of catches (73 but not counting the bowl game) but had 12 more receiving yards (2017- 1,100 yards not including bowl game) and one less touchdown so essentially replicated his 1,000-yard performance two straight years. In the games I watched (8 games in 3 years: 2016- vs. Texas Tech, 2017- Texas Tech, Oregon, and UCLA; and 2018- vs. UTSA, Utah, Oregon, and Arizona), here are some things I take away from his game (credit to Caddy to the Llama, Route Running, Deluded Yinzer, and Cut Up Corner.

Strengths

While N’Keal Harry is not the best route runner in the class, he has some good hand usage to assist him when he tries to separate and when he is contested by defensive backs. With his stature, he can be physical at its catch point and dominate with his wide catch radius. In the 8 games I watched, Harry only recorded 5 true drops in the span of three years with the Sun Devils. Even though he is not going to be a burner that stretches the defense; his strong hands and RAC (run after catch) ability will give him a shot to contribute in his rookie year.

Contortion is something he excels at when tracking the ball as his superb body control led to many spectacular catches over the shoulder and in contested situations at Arizona State.

Surprisingly, for a big-bodied wide receiver, Harry is deceptively quick laterally as a tough ball carrier once he gets up the field. He has great contact balance after the catch, using a stiff arm or spin move to elude defenders as he has some burst once he hits the open field. The Arizona State receiver has the versatility to play in the inside as well in the slot early on his career then project on the outside. Harry has exciting traits to mold in his rookie year and if he develops in his career, he has the potential to be one of the better receivers that come out of this draft class

Weaknesses

Even though N’Keal Harry has reliable hands, he does have a habit in body catching and could attack the ball in the air more consistently. Harry did not make that big of an impact in the red zone as I thought he would for a bigger receiver with his contested catch ability (based on his frame). There are some concerns with his effort and work ethic as he sometimes did not make the most of his releases when stemming off a route. Footwork needs to be cleaned up as he relies on it way too much and steps one too many to create separation in tight man coverage.

N’Keal Harry could put the lack of speed questions to bed with a good workout at the NFL Scouting Combine. 

Harry struggled when better cornerbacks jammed him on the line of scrimmage as the lack of separation could be a problem at the next level. Due to his lack of deep speed, he usually was not a threat to stretch the field and defenses usually had off man coverage on him. Harry took advantage of this (sometimes in the slot to create mismatches) and runs shorter routes one would think as a bigger receiver; like curls, comebacks or screens that could have manufactured production. Harry will need to run more complex routes in the NFL as his route running, especially making cuts, will need some work against NFL defenses.

NFL Comparison: Alshon Jeffrey (WR)- Philadelphia Eagles

As a player comparison, I see some Alshon Jeffrey in N’Keal Harry’s game with their ability to contort their body in contest catch scenarios. Even though they both do not have the best deep speed, both receivers possess relatively consistent and strong hands with rare drops. Once they get some space, however, they get by with decent acceleration to get some YAC (yards after catch) while being hard to bring down.

Early in Jeffrey’s career, he was not the most polished route runner coming out of South Carolina in 2012 so Harry will have to develop more intricate routes and learn how to better create separation to be more than a 50-50 jump ball red zone threat, which he was not utilized as much at Arizona State. The speed drills at the NFL Scouting Combine will be key to Harry’s draft stock and whether he is taken in Day 1 or 2.

Even though I think he goes in Round 2 of the NFL Draft, I would not be surprised if a team picks him mid to late in the 1st round with his prototypical size and traits.

The Baltimore Ravens seem to always be in the market for a wide receiver in the draft and without a 2nd round pick, they could pull the trigger early depending on who their top receiver is on the board and if he is available. The Oakland Raiders with multiple 1st round picks could use one of their picks in the 20s (pick 24 or 27) or even in the 2nd round to select the Arizona State product with the lack of talent they have at wide receiver. Harry could be a good complement to T.Y. Hilton with the Indianapolis Colts at pick 26. If the New England Patriots want a replacement for the troubled Josh Gordon, they can get another big-bodied wide receiver in Harry at pick 32.

Andrew Kim

Write about all things football; including the Baltimore Ravens (my favorite team), College Football, the NFL Draft, and other football related content.