N’Keal Harry, Arizona State
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 228 pounds
40-yard dash: 4.53 seconds
Vertical Jump: 38.5 inches
Broad Jump: 122 inches
3-Cone Drill: N/A
It’s easy to love players with Harry’s size coming into the NFL, as he’s got the ideal body-type to be a go-to wide receiver in an offense, though he did measure in two inches short of his listed height at Arizona State. He’s built proportionally and carries his 228 pounds very well. His Combine wasn’t anything to get excited about, as he fell in the middle of the class in almost everything but the bench press where his 27 reps tied for the most among wide receivers.
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While at Arizona State, Harry was able to post back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons in 2017 and 2018. He stayed on the field and played 37-of-38 possible games, so he was certainly durable, something missing from a lot of the top prospects at the wide receiver position. Harry totaled 100 yards in just nine of his 37 college games, but he finished with less than 55 yards just four times over his final 25 games, highlighting his consistency to reach 1,000 yards in each of those seasons.
Size/Versatility: 4.0 out of 5 stars
He has one of the best overall builds for a wide receiver in today’s NFL. He’s not too big and tall where you need to be concerned about injuries on a long frame, but he’s nowhere close to small. He’s built rock-solid and can absorb hits over the middle of the field. Arizona State moved him all over the field, so he has the ability to move into the slot if a team moves around their receivers quite a bit, making him versatile for someone his size.
Route Running/Ability to Separate: 1.5 out of 5 stars
It doesn’t take him a long time to come to a stop in his route when he plants his foot, but I believe a big part of the reason is because he never gains much speed. I continually watch cornerbacks move stride-for-stride with him while at Arizona State, something that’s only going to get worse at the next level. He simply doesn’t make life easy on his quarterback, as he was always throwing into very tight windows. That’s going to limit Harry’s opportunity early in his career, as most quarterbacks don’t want to continually throw into tight spaces. Harry’s physicality will gain some separation, as he has the strength to shove defenders aside to create some space, though he could get flagged if too blatant. This is easily the biggest area of concern with his game and it’s a big one.
Speed: 2.0 out of 5 stars
He ran faster than I thought he would at the NFL Combine because he appears to be moving in slow motion at times on the field. He lacks any sort of burst off the line of scrimmage, meaning defenders can play up in his face all day long without worrying about the consequences. He can get caught from behind in the open field as well, so he’s lacking speed seemingly everywhere on the field. He does have more long speed than burst, though, which unfortunately doesn’t suit his style of play as a possession receiver.
Hands: 4.5 out of 5 stars
He might have the best hands in the draft class, as he naturally snags the ball out of the air like it’s a tennis ball. You can tell it’s just natural for him to snag the ball and tuck it into his body. He’s a natural hands catcher that doesn’t have to labor through the process or think too much. He’s also one of the better contested-catch receivers in the draft, though he’ll need to make plenty of them given his lack of separation in his routes.
Awareness: 2.5 out of 5 stars
He uses his body to shield defenders pretty well, though I wouldn’t call him a jump-ball receiver. He doesn’t time his jumps as well as some others in this draft class, often high-pointing before the ball arrives. He does adjust well to poorly thrown passes, something that happened quite often at Arizona State. One knock about his awareness is that he often turns his head well before the ball arrives to him, giving the defender a clear indication that the ball is coming their way. When thrown a ball near the sidelines, he does seem to have good control over his body while remaining in bounds.
After the Catch: 4.5 out of 5 stars
He’s extremely good after the catch and someone who’s not going down without a fight. He’s strong and has good balance to push for those extra yards most receivers can’t get. You watched Arizona State continually use him on screen plays, which made tons of sense, because he’s dangerous with the ball in his hands and that’s one of the plays he can have free separation to make things happen. The best way to describe him is slippery after the catch, as he twists and spins his way out of tackles on a regular basis. He also has good vision when carrying the ball, often knowing the best route to take in order to maximize yardage.
Potential Landing Spot
When trying to figure out the potential landing spot for a player like Harry, there’s likely a difference in what I view as the best landing spot and what the actual landing spot will be. In terms of what I believe the best landing spot is, we want to go to NextGenStats. Josh Rosen was willing to throw into tight coverage 21.6 percent of the time in 2018, the highest mark in the NFL. That’s the type of quarterback who should be throwing to Harry and they just happen to need wide receivers. The Giants, Colts, Ravens, Redskins, and Jaguars are all teams who fit the bill in need of a perimeter wide receiver.
NFL Comparison
When searching for a comparison for Harry, it’s tough because not many receivers get targeted a whole lot if they’re not gaining separation, but I’d say he’s close to a late-career Dez Bryant. While Bryant created separation early in his career, he struggled to gain much down the stretch. It’s why you saw his catch-rate decline over the years. He was a big, physical wide receiver who could create yardage after the catch with very strong hands. Harry isn’t quite the box-out red zone threat that Bryant was, but he has the physical playstyle.
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Mike Tagliere is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Mike, check out his archive and follow him @MikeTagliereNFL.