Getty N'Keal Harry almost wasn't the New England Patriots' 2019 No. 1 draft pick.
As the New England Patriots‘ 2019 first-round draft pick, N’Keal Harry is expected to make an impact at wide receiver. The No. 32 overall selection had an extremely productive final two years at Arizona State, averaging 78 receptions, 1,115 yards and nine touchdowns between his sophomore and junior seasons.
But the actual selection of Harry didn’t go as smoothly as you might guess. We’ve all seen footage of college prospects getting the call on draft day from the NFL team picking him. It’s an exciting and often touching moment, depending on whether or not the player is in the green room at the draft site or at home with family and friends.
The key aspect to that, however, is actually getting ahold of the player on the phone when the selection is being made. For the Patriots, that was a problem when it came time for their pick and drafting Harry as NFL reporter Dov Kleiman reminded his followers.
This video has a brief glimpse of Harry’s difficulties getting cell service (at the 44:26 mark):
Harry explained the initial failure to communicate in a draft night interview on NFL Network.
“So the call at first wasn’t even working,” Harry explained. “Like out in Scottsdale, in the mountains so my phone wasn’t even working at first. We couldn’t get them on the line. One of my agents actually had to reach out, ending up getting them on the phone and then Coach Belichick was talking to me. He congratulated me and told me they were gonna fly me out and to just get ready. And then Mr. Kraft, he was just congratulating me as well, saying they’re excited to get me out there and we’re ready to go.”
The newest WR for @TomBrady 👀
@NKealHarry15 joined @NFLTotalAccess last night to talk about the life changing call he got from the @Patriots 👇
If Harry hasn’t worked out an endorsement deal with a cellular provider yet, he should have a word with his agent. That seems like a natural partnership to make. But at least Harry didn’t embarrass whichever provider he was using on draft night by calling that company out.
And here’s how the call went from the Patriots’ draft war room in Foxborough:
“Congratulations, you’re a New England Patriot.”
BB 📲@NkealHarry15
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In response to Kleiman’s tweet, several fans asked if not being able to get the prospect on the phone would really cause a problem. Couldn’t the team just make the pick and contact the player or his representation later?
But as Kleiman explained, there are apparently some valid reasons for wanting to make sure the player is available and wants to be selected by that team.
.@jerrythornton1 Another example of what happens when a player doesn’t answer his phone.
During the 2010 Draft, @AB84 received a call from both #Bills who picked 192nd overall and a call from the #Steelers who picked 195th.
He ignored the Bills, and got drafted by the Steelers
Also, NFL teams may want to make sure the athlete they want is actually able to play.
@Whitetail001 The problem isn’t if they can make the pick regardless of if the player answers. They can.
The issue is, teams want to make sure the player is okay and everything is alright when they select him, because if it isn’t, it’s a wasted pick
An NFL team once drafted a player who died
The player and NFL team in question are uncertain, but the Canadian Football League’s Ottawa Rough Riders once drafted defensive end Derrell Robertson, who had died in a car crash five months earlier. The Montreal Alouettes also drafted a player who died from cancer the previous year.
Not to make light of such an embarrassing — and tragic — situation, but at least Harry and the Patriots only had to deal with poor cellular service. There are some questions regarding Harry’s ability to create separation from defenders. But that has nothing to do with the Patriots getting him on the phone and making sure he was available and willing to be their pick.
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