Harry represents worst of Belichick-Brady era

Jul. 15—FOXBOROUGH — We won't have N'Keal Harry to kick around anymore.

He was traded earlier on Wednesday for a bag of footballs — or a probable 2023 Patriots practice squad player (see 7th round pick) — to the Chicago Bears.

How Harry lasted as a Patriot, this long, is anybody's guess.

He represents the most expensive, painful talent evaluation blunder in Bill Belichick's draft career.

Sure, Belichick has whiffed over his two-plus decades picking players. Several times. But so has every other general manager or president in every sport.

Belichick, though, has oftentimes made up for it in later rounds, even with undrafted free agents, or by coaching other players up.

Harry, who was the last pick of the first round after the Patriots defense crunched the Rams, 13-3, in February of 2019, was supposed to keep Tom Brady's pie hole shut.

While the 2018 championship team could fling it when it had to — see the fourth quarter and OT of AFC title game in Kansas City — that group was noted for pounding the football when it had to.

Here were Brady's wide receiving options in 2018:

Julian Edelman, Chris Hogan, Phillip Dorsett, Cordarelle Patterson and Josh Gordon (suspended).

Hogan and Dorsett, the only two "safety-stretching" wide receivers on the roster, didn't have a reception in the Super Bowl.

So here's a big guess: Brady wanted wide receivers ... make that real wide receivers going forward.

Well, guess what we found out, albeit too late: The 2019 NFL Draft may have been the richest wide receiving draft in six decades.

Seven wide receivers have been deemed game-changers at their position, borderline elite.

One of them, Marquise Brown, was drafted before Harry by the Ravens, 25th overall.

Six of them — 49ers Deebo Samuel (36th), Titans A.J. Brown (51st), Seahawks D.K. Metcalf (64th), Steelers Diontae Johnson (66th), Commanders Terry McLaurin (76th) and Raiders Hunter Renfrow (149th) — were taken after him.

Well, when Harry went down with an ankle injury in an exhibition game, eventually missing nine games, the Patriots took a flyer the Patriots took on Antonio Brown.

It lasted one bleepin' week.

The Patriots started that season, remarkably with an unhappy Brady, at 8-0, before the roof caved in against the Ravens in Baltimore.

The Patriots went 4-5 after that perfect start and Belichick and Brady went their separate ways.

Imagine the 2019 Patriots with Brady and any of those six, particularly Samuel or Metcalf?

Do the Patriots make a Super Bowl run? Possibly, though issues on the offensive line and on defense may have been a problem.

Would Brady look at his place here in New England differently with one of those young studs on the outside? Again, tough to say, but maybe.

Expending a first-rounder on Harry probably kept him around a year longer than warranted. There were a few, minor glimpses of goodness and his size (6-foot-4, 225 pounds) was always intriguing.

But he was, for lack of better description, a colossal flop.

In 33 career games he has accumulated only 598 receiving yards with 57 receptions and four TDs. In comparison, Metcalf, drafted 32 picks after Harry, has 3,170 yards and 216 receptions with 29 TDs, never missing a game.

Even worse, the Patriots had to go out and pay handsomely for the position, which is not in character with Belichick's beliefs, expending $16 million in guarantees to Nelson Agholor, who had a subpar first year.

Good drafting allows teams to expend free agent dollars to other areas.

What became apparent from his rookie year is Brady didn't want him.

Before long, neither did Patriots Nation.

Harry heads to the Bears where he gets a much-needed fresh start.

And, quite frankly, New England gets the same thing.

You can email Bill Burt at bburt@eagletribune.com.