Less than one month separates N’Keal Harry and the 2019 NFL Draft. Where and when will the former ASU football wide receiver be taken?
On Wednesday morning, N’Keal Harry made his rounds inside ASU’s Verde Dickey Dome, catching deep balls from Manny Wilkins and answering questions from the local media. For the 6-foot-2, 228-pound wide receiver, it was a fitting curtain call for what is to come.
Only 26 days separate Harry from a probable outcome — being selected in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft. If it happens, he will become the first ASU player taken in the top-32 since Damarious Randall (No. 30) in 2015.
After the Sun Devils’ Pro Day, it was announced that Harry would be meeting with the Arizona Cardinals, Denver Broncos, Detroit Lions, Buffalo Bills and New Orleans Saints, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Representatives from a reported 27 teams were present at ASU’s Pro Day.
While Harry was limited to receiving drills, his drill work was validated at the NFL Combine earlier this month. There, he was a top-10 performer for wide receivers in bench press (27) and vertical jump (38.5 inches) while running a 4.53 forty-yard dash and leaping 122 inches on the broad jump.
Now that the workouts are over, here is where various mock drafts have Harry landing next month.
NFL.com: Round 2, Pick 42 to Cincinnati Bengals
Chad Reuter of NFL.com released this four-round mock draft on March 28, projecting that Harry will run routes alongside A.J. Green in Cincinnati.
Here is how Reuter analyzed the fit:
"“Beyond A.J. Green and Tyler Boyd, the Bengals’ receiver group is full of question marks. Harry can take advantage of bracket coverage on Green with his size and strong hands.”"
Harry was the sixth wide receiver to come off the board in this draft, falling below Ole Miss’ D.K. Metcalf (No. 15 — Washington), Ohio State’s Parris Cambell (No. 22 — Baltimore), Iowa State’s Hakeem Butler (No. 32 — New England), Oklahoma’s Marquise Brown (No. 33 — Arizona), and Ole Miss’ A.J. Brown (No. 34 — Indianapolis).
If you didn’t notice, Reuter projects the Cardinals to opt with Marquise Brown instead of Harry at wide receiver. That would be a tough pill to swallow.
Bleacher Report: Round 1, Pick 16 to Carolina Panthers
So far, this is the highest projection I’ve seen for Harry. This post was published by Chris Roling on March 28, pitting Harry with an offense that features Cam Newton and Christian McCaffrey in Carolina.
Here, Harry is the second wideout taken after Metcalf at No. 7 (Jacksonville). If teams really liked his workouts, it’s viable that Harry could be a high selection like this.
SB Nation: Round 2, Pick 59 to Indianapolis Colts
This is a lower-scale prediction for Harry. Not only does he go in the second round, he nearly falls to the third, becoming the sixth-to-last pick here.
The post was made by Dan Kadar, who placed Metcalf (No. 11 — Cincinnati), Marquise Brown (No. 20 — Pittsburgh), A.J. Brown (No. 40 — Buffalo), Butler (No. 55 — Houston) and South Carolina’s Deebo Samuel (No. 58 — Dallas) above Harry.
Ironically, Kadar has another Sun Devil coming off the board before Harry — defensive tackle Renell Wren at No. 51 to Tennessee.
TouchdownWire: Round 1, Pick 30 to Green Bay Packers
Harry and Aaron Rodgers? That would be fun to watch.
Doug Farrar of TouchdownWire sees it happening. Here’s his explanation:
"“Since the Packers went all out on defense in free agency by adding pass-rushers Za’Darius Smith and Preston Smith, not to mention safety Adrian Amos, let’s add to the T.J. Hockenson pick and give Aaron Rodgers another target. Harry isn’t the fastest receiver in this bunch, but he’s fast enough, and his ability to win in contested catch situations would help Aaron Rodgers immensely, and brings both Keenan Allen and later-years Anquan Boldin to mind.”"
Pretty hefty comparisons to live up to.
DraftWire: Round 2, Pick 34 to Indianapolis Colts
Another prediction of Harry to Indianapolis.
This mock draft was assembled by Luke Easterling, who finished the post on March 27. Here, Harry is the fourth wideout taken off the board and the second pick of the second round.
With Andrew Luck back to his productive ways, adding Harry to an offense with T.Y. Hilton and Devin Funchess could help Indianapolis get over the hump in the AFC.
The next step of Harry’s pre-draft process will be his private meetings. According to Arizona Sports’ John Gambadoro, his meeting with the Cardinals is likely to take place on April 1.