The New England Patriots broke a 23-year run of not taking any wide receivers in the first round of the NFL Draft last Thursday, selecting Arizona State wide out N'Keal Harry with the 32nd overall pick.
Harry was viewed as a first-round talent by most, so when the clock kept ticking and teams kept passing on him, he began to get worried. But, the Patriots then took him with the last pick of the round, and he was thrilled.
“Draft night I keep seeing people pass on me,” said Harry, via the Patriots' official Twitter account. “I'm not seeing my name, so I was getting kind of nervous. On that 32 pick I was just wishing, praying that New England picked me.”
Harry's prayer was answered.
“It was so surreal, especially for me, waiting that long and getting to the end of the first round,” he added. “I was honestly starting to think maybe I had to start getting ready for Day 2. So, when I got that call, I tried not to be emotional, but I couldn’t really hold it back at that point. I just felt so blessed, I was so thankful for the Patriots organization. I was just thanking God and I’m just ready to get to work.”
The 21-year-old is joining a New England squad that is in desperate need of some help in the passing game, as tight end Rob Gronkowski announced his retirement earlier this offseason and wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson departed for the Chicago Bears via free agency. Not only that, but wide out Josh Gordon is serving an indefinite suspension.
Harry may be just a rookie, but his name will probably be called upon quite a bit for the defending champs in 2019.
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