Josh McDaniels Gives Blunt Assessment of Struggling WR’s Performance

The New England Patriots selected N’Keal Harry as a top pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, but he has yet to make a big impact on the field. Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels talked about Hary’s performance in his most recent press conference.

One of the questions he received was linked to Harry’s improvement since his rookie campaign. McDaniels explained that Harry has to work more to improve, but also praised the young receiver.

“I think N’Keal has done some things — certainly some positive things that have helped us during the course of the games that he’s played. And I think, like most young players who’ve had to miss time throughout the early part of their careers, he’s got plenty of things that he can improve on and that he needs to improve on.”

The second-year receiver struggles to gain separation on every route. Harry wasn’t a speed player in college. He won games thanks to his size and strength. However, he has hard time overpowering NFL players. He also struggles to stay healthy and this sure affected his development and confidence.

In 16 appearances in these two seasons, Harry recorded 36 receptions for 318 yards and three touchdowns. Most fifth-round picks do better than that. Harry was selected in the first round and he should play much better than this.

Josh McDaniels hopes to see N’Keal Harry improve his performance

So, how can Harry and players like him improve?

“The name of the game for young guys is to learn how to play and how to do their job at this level, and then to be able to be consistently dependable doing it against good competition under pressure is the next step for guys in this league,” McDaniels said.

Some say that Harry has issues with his work ethic, but McDaniels denied any of that. According to him, Harry works really hard and deserves every word of praise he gets from coaches and teammates.

“N’Keal works extremely hard at practice, and he has to continue to try to do that. And we have to continue to try to coach the things that we need to improve and make better as we move forward the rest of the season that we have left.”

Harry shared several videos this past offseason to remind everyone that he is ready for “a breakout season.” However, things didn’t work really easy for him. He had a concussion and also suffered a shoulder and ankle injury.