The Patriots needed to add a wide receiver and they found a good one.

"The New England Patriots used the 32nd overall pick of the 2019 NFL Draft to select 6’3 Sony Michel Jerseys 2019 , 228 pound wide receiver N’Keal Harry out of Arizona State. The Patriots have a glaring need at wide receiver, but the Patriots had never taken a wide receiver in the first round with Bill Belichick at the helm.That’s clearly no longer the case. Here’s why Belichick and the Patriots decided to draft Harry.Impressive UpsideHarry’s measurables match-up to what you see on tape. He’s a big and strong receiver at 228 pounds with a 99th percentile 27 reps on the bench press. He has an impressive 38.5” vertical jump that he uses to pluck the ball out of the air. And he uses his 6.89s three cone to shake defenders and pick up yards after the catch. He’s a dominant athlete for his size. We’ll cover all of these factors later.But what’s super notable is that he’s only 21 years old and doesn’t turn 22 until December. Of the 76 wide receivers taken in the first or second round over the decade spanning 2009-18, 31 of them were 21 or younger on draft day (~40%). And yet of the 29 receivers to average 50+ yards per game in the NFL, 66% of them were drafted at the age of 21 or younger.Receivers aged 20-21 include Brandin Cooks, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Dez Bryant, DeAndre Hopkins, Davante Adams, Odell Beckham, Jarvis Landry, and Mike Evans. It’s not a perfect science, but generally receivers that dominate the college level at a young age are able to continue their success in the NFL and Harry is unrivaled in this draft class when it comes to producing at a young age.Fiery AttitudeThe Patriots need some strength at the receiver position with Chris Hogan now in Carolina with the Panthers and Harry has it in spades. Harry tied for the most reps on the bench press at the combine with 27 (only four other receivers surpassed 20) and that strength shows up on tape.Harry has a fiery energy to his game that is certain to mesh well with Julian Edelman as the Patriots receiving corps will make opposing defensive backs think twice before engaging against the run.Versatile Route RunnerHarry is a polished route runner with an expansive tree that should allow him to find a role in the offense on day one. Former Patriots’ exec Mike Lombardi says that Harry is “a legitimate receiver. That guy can play anywhere on the field, he can play F inside, he can play X outside, he can go inside and make the catch, and when the ball’s in his hands, he’s a beast. He can go get it.”Harry is capable of disguising his routes and shaking defenders just enough to create separation and he can do it from anywhere on the formation. He can line up outside and run a go route Byron Cowart Jersey Boys , or an in-route, or a comeback. He can do anything from the slot. Unlike some other receivers, Harry isn’t limited in what he’s able to run on every single play.Elite at Contested CatchesHarry is great at making sure the ball gets in his hands, even if he’s covered by a defender. According to Pro Football Focus, Harry had the third-most contested catches in college football over the past two seasons and “ranked first with a 57.5% contested catch percentage.” So if Tom Brady throws the ball up, Harry is likely to come down with it.https://www.profootballfocus.com/news/dr...g-play-weaponSo not only are Harry’s routes clean to give Brady some separation space to work with, but Harry’s also able to make plays on the ball when that space doesn’t develop.Harry did struggle with some drops in the red zone this past season, but he also wasn’t given a lot of help from the rest of his offense.Dominant Yards after the CatchAccording to Pro Football Focus, no receiver has more plays of 15+ yards than Harry over the past two seasons of college football. Harry’s able to change direction on a dime, even though his size should prevent him from doing so, and he’ll always fight for extra yardage.Harry has a good feel for finding soft spots in defenses and gaining extra yards and has the balance to stay on his feet after contact. The Patriots can focus on getting the ball in Harry’s hands and letting him do the rest.And so there you have it. Harry is already great at running routes to generate separation, fighting for the ball when that separation doesn’t develop, and gaining extra yards once the ball is in his hands. His attitude is great and he has a ton of upside. What more could you want? From one second to the next, Robert Edwards’ life was changed forever. Before he jumped up to defend a pass in a four-on-four flag football game leading up to the NFL’s 1999 Pro Bowl, he was a star in the making: the New England Patriots had drafted him with the 18th overall selection just ten months earlier and he immediately had an impact on a team that had to replace lead running back Curtis Martin, who had left for the New York Jets.Serving as the Patriots’ new top option in the backfield, the Georgia product saw action in all 17 of his team’s games that season and quickly showed why a first-round pick was invested in him. Edwards touched the football 346 times during his rookie campaign White Duke Dawson Jerseys , by far the most on the team, gained 1,507 yards and scored a combined 13 touchdowns on the ground and through the air. In short: he was pretty good in 1998.So good, in fact, that the NFL sent him to Hawaii to participate in the lead up to the Pro Bowl. No, he was not picked to actually play in the game, but as one of the season’s outstanding rookies, the league invited him to partake in the so-called “Rookie Beach Bowl” alongside other top draft picks like the Indianapolis Colts’ Peyton Manning or the Oakland Raiders’ Charles Woodson. Woodson, in fact, was on the same team as Edwards.Just like the Patriots’ back, he too jumped up to defend Charlie Batch’s pass intended for wide receiver R.W. McQuarters. Woodson and McQuarters got back up, Edwards did not. He landed awkwardly and did not feel any pain right away — the pain would come later. After he was carried off the field under applause and placed on a buffet table for initial evaluation. The pain started in the ambulance on the way to the hospital.Edwards had not only torn three ligaments in his left knee — the ACL, MCL and PCL — and partially tore his LCL tendon as well, he had also suffered major nerve damage. On top of all this, and most serious of all his injuries, he had sliced the artery in his left leg. That is when the then 24-year old was told that his leg might have to be amputated if the blood flow was not sufficiently stopped or the sutures in his artery did not hold.His dream of playing football again was over either way, according to the doctors Duke Dawson Jerseys 2019 , and even if his leg was saved the injury might still severely impact his ability to walk in the future. One year into Edwards’ professional career, it was all but over again. Except that it was not: not only was his leg saved and he was able to walk again, Edwards also returned to the gridiron two years after his gruesome injury.In the summer of 2001, he attempted a comeback with the Patriots but a groin injury suffered during training camp set him back again. Ultimately, New England — now no longer led by Pete Carroll but by Bill Belichick — moved on and released its former first-round pick with an injury settlement. “This in no way detracts from the remarkable accomplishments Robert has achieved through two years of dedication and commitment,” said Belichick at the time.“He has our lasting respect and admiration and his story will always be an inspiration to everyone. We just reached the point where we ran out of time,” continued his statement issued by the team. In March of the following year, a month after New England won its first ever Super Bowl, the Miami Dolphins gave Edwards another chance at continuing his NFL dream — one that actually worked better.He made Miami’s roster as a change-of-pace back and appeared in 12 games during the 2002 season, touching the football 38 times for 233 yards and a pair of touchdowns. While it was not the same level of production, it was still a tremendous accomplishment three years removed from a serious injury. After leaving Miami, Edwards would go on to continue his career in Canada before stepping away from football for good in 2008.Looking back, Edwards’ career was one of untapped potential but also one of perseverance and strength — an inspirational tale of overcoming the odds. However, it also is still a relatively fresh wound in New England’s memory on its 20th anniversary. With the Pro Bowl coming up later today, it serves as a reminder of just how quickly the NFL dream can die and how athletes are not the superhuman beings they are oftentimes portrayed to be.