If N'Keal Harry is going to make a significant contribution to the New England Patriots, it won't be until the second half of the season.

According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, the Patriots have placed the rookie wide receiver on the injured reserve list due to an ankle injury, meaning Harry won't be able to take the field until after Week 8.

Harry was expected to be a big part of New England's receiving corps this season, as he represented the first wideout the Pats selected in the first round of the draft (32nd pick overall) since the late Terry Glenn back in 1996.

But Harry suffered an ankle injury during the Patriots' preseason opener and has not played since.

The 21-year-old, who played his collegiate football at Arizona State, is coming off of a junior campaign in which he hauled in 73 receptions for 1,088 yards and nine touchdowns.

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He arrived at Arizona State in 2016 and made an immediate impact, catching 58 passes for 659 yards and four scores during his freshman season. He then followed that up by snaring 82 balls for 1,142 yards while reaching the end zone eight times during his sophomore year.

Fortunately for New England, fellow wide receiver Josh Gordon was reinstated from his suspension last month, giving the Pats an impressive duo of Gordon and Julian Edelman as their top two wideouts.

Still, the loss of Harry is a blow, as many had high hopes for the first-year receiver.

The Patriots will open up their regular season when they take on the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday night.