ASU Football: The ramifications of N’Keal Harry leaving for the NFL

It’s official – N’Keal Harry will be going to the NFL in 2019. But what does that mean for Harry and ASU football moving forward?

A graduate of Chandler High School in Arizona, N’Keal Harry was labelled as the chosen one.

Harry, the No. 1 wide receiver recruit in the country, was recruited by powerhouses such as Texas A&M, Texas and Washington.

But he decided to stay closer to his grandmother by attending Arizona State University, roughly a 22 minute drive from Chandler.

“This state means to world to me,” Harry said. “Why not Arizona State? Why can’t I accomplish my dreams at Arizona State?”

Three years later, Harry has 213 career catches for 2,889 receiving yards for the Sun Devils, making him one of the greatest wide receivers ever to dawn the maroon and gold.

But Harry’s Sun Devil career came to an end on Monday when the ASU wideout declared that he will be entering the 2019 NFL Draft.

“I never really thought about the NFL for the money,” Harry said. “I feel like now that I have the opportunity to go out and get my dreams. I feel like I need to do that.”

With Harry out of the picture for next season, what will the future of Sun Devil football be without him?

Despite racking up less receiving yards and receptions for ASU in 2018 then he did in 2017, Harry was just as, if not more dominant, than he was a season ago.

The junior wideout made arguably the catch of the college football season, averaged a staggering 14.9 yards per catch and made fans jaws drop with electrifying mid-play reverses of field.

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That dominance Harry displayed in a Sun Devil uniform will be gone in 2019. Arguably the best wideout in the country, there is no replacing a wideout like Harry with one player.

Thankfully for ASU, Kyle Williams, Brandon Aiyuk and Frank Darby all return in 2019. With John Humphrey also projected to comeback from injury, the Sun Devils should have depth on the outside for next season.

Despite ASU’s depth on the outside, there still may be uncertainty as to how that depth will turn into a productive core in 2019.

It may be a luxury the Sun Devils have, but it’s still uncertain if any of ASU’s four returning starting wideouts, or if a freshman, can emerge as the primary target for the next Sun Devil quarterback.

ASU’s quarterback situation for 2019 is very fluid. Redshirt freshman Ryan Kelley, Sun Devil commit Joey Yellen and current ASU backup quarterback Dillon Sterling-Cole are the names in contention for the starting job.

With current starting quarterback Manny Wilkins graduating and Harry playing on Sunday’s, the Sun Devils passing attack will be at least somewhat of a question mark moving forward.

The only question mark Harry faces now is how high he will be drafted. So, where could the star receiver possibly land in the NFL Draft, and when?

Compared to Dez Bryant by his own head coach, Harry’s wide catch radius, incredible hands and size will all project as elite tools at the next level. With good but not great speed, the ASU star has the intangibles to make up for any other potential shortcoming that NFL scouts may find.

Barring injury, Harry will likely be drafted in the first two rounds in the NFL Draft. Some are projecting the ASU receiver in the top five but most slotting Harry toward the end of the first round.

The Baltimore Ravens, New York Jets, Washington Redskins and San Diego Chargers are just a handful of teams that have been linked to Harry in recent mock drafts.

With Lamar Jackson as the future at quarterback, the Ravens are arguably the favorites for Harry’s services especially given Baltimore’s lack of production at wide receiver in recent seasons.

In need of playmakers around Sam Darnold, the Jets could possibly be an option if they decided to trade up into the latter half of the first round.

Perhaps NFL teams with elite quarterbacks like the Green Bay Packers or New England Patriots could use Harry as an instant upgrade to their offenses.

Regardless of the team that Harry lands with in April, the NFL fanbase that inherits him should expect nothing short of greatness.

Because after all, ASU’s star wideout has always been the chosen one.

All quotes in this article were obtained firsthand by Devils in Detail unless otherwise noted.