The Philadelphia Eagles could be considering signing another wide receiver in N’Keal Harry.
As reported by NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero on Tuesday, July 25, the Eagles worked out a number of players, including former first-round draft pick N’Keal Harry.
“Some notable workouts from the wire: #Packers worked out QB Jacob Eason, #Raiders worked out RBs Abram Smith and Benny Snell, #Eagles worked out WR N’Keal Harry,” wrote Pelissero.
N’Keal Harry Has Been a Bust Since Being Drafted in 2019
It’s worth noting that the Eagles’ NFC East rival, the Dallas Cowboys, hosted Harry for a workout back in June.
The 25-year-old Harry was a first-round draft pick of the New England Patriots back in 2019. Despite his draft billing, he’s never come close to matching that expectation. During his three seasons with the Patriots, Harry produced just 57 receptions for 598 receiving yards and four touchdowns.
New England finally traded their former top pick to the Chicago Bears just prior to the start of the 2022 season and he barely made a dent. Harry caught just seven passes for 116 yards and one touchdown in seven games despite playing 40% of the offensive snaps in games he appeared in.
Eagles Could Use N’Keal Harry’s Size as Blocker and Red Zone Threat
While Harry has been a bust thus far, he does possess size (6-foot-2, 228 pounds) and he has proven to be an exceptional blocker. As Dave Zangaro of NBC Sports Philadelphia notes, Harry could fill that role following the offseason departure of Zach Pascal, who played a key role for the Eagles as a secondary receiver during the 2022 season.
“One of the free agent losses from the 2022 team was Zach Pascal, who joined the Cardinals,” writes Zangaro. “Pascal filled the role of blocking receiver and perhaps that could be a role for Harry if he signs. At 6-4, 225 pounds, Harry would be one of the biggest receivers on the roster.”
The Eagles have made a concerted effort to improve their receiving corps in the offseason. They signed former Atlanta Falcons wideout Olamide Zaccheaus to compete with incumbent Quez Watkins for the slot receiver role. While Harry is a bigger receiver and has played primarily on the outside during his young career, he does have experience playing the slot role.
In fact, during his best season — he posted 33 receptions for 309 receiving yards and two touchdowns — he played in the slot on 35.9% of his snaps.
Prior to being drafted, Harry received favorable reviews from analysts. Lance Zierlein of NFL.com raved about Harry’s ability to win during contested ball matchups.
“Back-shoulder boss who thrives with contested catch opportunities outside the numbers but lacks explosive traits,” wrote Zierlein back in 2019. “Harry’s ability to body-up opponents and win with ball skills is undeniable, but his inability to find a threatening top gear or shake loose from tight man coverage must be accounted for within his new employer’s scheme. His experience playing inside should help and teams will love his impact as a run-blocker. His competitiveness and ability to come down with the ball could make him a productive member of wide receiver trio in short order.”
Zierlein actually compared him to former Pro Bowl receiver Allen Robinson, who co-led the NFL in touchdown catches (15) back in 2015 and posted 1,400 receiving yards during that season.
It’s worth mentioning that Philadelphia also worked out fellow receivers such as Dean Cain and JaVonta Payton. The Eagles ended up signing Cain, who spent time on Philadelphia’s practice squad over the past two seasons.
Although they signed Cain, the Eagles are clearly looking to upgrade at wide receiver, Philadelphia could always sign Harry if they’re looking for a big-bodied, red zone threat.
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