Philadelphia Eagles 2019 NFL Draft watch: Wide receiver N’Keal Harry

The Philadelphia Eagles are reportedly hosting former Arizona State Sun Devils standout N’Keal Harry prior to the 2019 NFL Draft.

The Philadelphia Eagles currently have five wide receivers on their active roster: Alshon Jeffery, Nelson Agholor, Shelton Gibson, Mack Hollins, and DeSean Jackson. They have five more signed to future/reserve deals: Carlton Agudosi, Johnny Holton, Marken Michel, Braxton Miller, and Dorren Miller. Even, with all of that talent, they still aren’t satisfied. Enter N’Keal Harry and the upcoming 2019 NFL Draft.

Pro football’s annual selection meeting is less than three weeks away, and this former Arizona State Sun Devils standout is turning heads, including quite a few in Philly. According to Ryan Dunleavy, a New York Giants beat reporter for NJ.com., Harry was at the NFL owners meeting last week, and he’s also scheduled to meet with Philly prior to the draft.

Take a look:

Here’s the skinny.

Harry is a six-foot-two inch, 228-pound wide receiver who NFL.com compares to Allen Robinson. He just posted a 4.5 40-yard dash time at the most recent NFL Combine, and that was in addition to the 27 reps he put up on the bench press and his 38.5-inch vertical jump.

Here’s more of what NFL analyst Lance Zierlein said in Harry’s draft profile:

"Back-shoulder boss who thrives with contested catch opportunities outside the numbers but lacks explosive traits. 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."

In his final season in Tempe, Harry racked up 73 receptions, 1,088 yards and nine touchdowns. He even contributed with seven rushing attempts and a touchdown on the ground, giving him 213 receptions, 2,889 receiving yards, 22 receiving touchdowns, 144 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns for his collegiate career.

WalterFootball.com ranks him as their seventh-best prospect at wide receiver and had this to say:

"Team sources say that Harry is not real twitchy or explosive. They worry about how he is not fast in and out of breaks and don’t see suddenness. Some sources said that Harry reminded them of Ole Miss wideout Laquon Treadwell, who is currently headed toward bust status for the Vikings. Some other sources say they are grading Harry on the second day of the 2019 NFL Draft and feel he is akin to Carolina Panthers wide receiver Devin Funchess. One team source said they originally planned on grading Harry in Round 2, but were lowering him to the third round."

The Draft Network feels this way:

"N’Keal Harry projects favorably as a prototypical X-receiver in the NFL. Harry’s size, contested catch ability and skills defeating press coverage combine to offer an impressive package of traits, especially when considering the versatility Harry brings to an offense as a RAC receiver, deep threat and as a red-zone target. Harry may require some time to further develop but he has dominant traits."

To make long stories short, he’s not an early-round guy, but ‘The Birds’ don’t figure to take a receiver early anyway. Harry’s a good receiver who could provide some value for a team willing to spend a mid-round pick on him.

In 2019, Philly will have to begin thinking on whether Hollins, Agholor, and Gibson are in this team’s long-term plans. Might Harry be a viable replacement for one or all of them? It appears Philly’s giving that idea some serious thought.