N'Keal Harry (, '; born December 17, 1997) is a Vincentian-Canadian professional

American football American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...

wide receiver A wide receiver (WR), also referred to as a wideout, and historically known as a split end (SE) or flanker (FL), is an eligible receiver in gridiron football. A key skill position of the offense (American football), offense, WR gets its name ...

. He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for the

Arizona State Sun Devils The Arizona State Sun Devils are the sport, athletic teams that represent Arizona State University. ASU has nine men's and eleven women's Varsity team, varsity teams competing at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Divisi ...

, where he twice received first-team All-Pac-12 honors, and was selected by the

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. The Patriots compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The Pa ...

as the final first round pick (32nd overall) of the

2019 NFL draft The 2019 NFL draft was the 84th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players for the 2019 NFL season. The draft was held on April 25–27 in Nashville, Tennessee, Nashville. The first round was held ...

. Harry spent his first three seasons with the Patriots before being traded to the

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They are one of two remaining ...

in 2022. He joined the Vikings the following season.

Early life

Harry was born in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

, Canada, before moving as a baby to

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, sometimes known simply as Saint Vincent or SVG, is an island country in the eastern Caribbean. It is located in the southeast Windward Islands of the Lesser Antilles, which lie in the West Indies, at the south ...

. His grandmother brought him to the Phoenix metro area, with the blessing of his mother, to allow for more opportunity. Harry tried several sports as a kid; soccer, football, and basketball, among others. His grandmother had hoped he would choose a less dangerous sport, but agreed to let him play football. He starred at Chandler High School after transferring from Marcos de Niza High School in Tempe, earning five star recruiting honors from Rivals.com, and was noted by many recruiting services as one of the top

recruits in the country. In his junior season, Harry caught 13 touchdown passes on 30 catches for 657 yards.

College career

Harry chose to remain home and committed to

Arizona State University Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public university, public research university in Tempe, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 as Territorial Normal School by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, the university is o ...

despite recruiting efforts by

Texas A&M Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, TA&M, or TAMU) is a public university, public, Land-grant university, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas, United States. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of ...

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

USC USC may refer to: Education United States * Universidad del Sagrado Corazón, Santurce, Puerto Rico * University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina ** University of South Carolina System, a state university system of South Carolina * ...

, among other top-tier programs. In the 2016 season-opening game against

Northern Arizona University Northern Arizona University (NAU) is a public research university based in Flagstaff, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1899, it was the third and final university established in the Arizona Territory. It is one of the three universities gove ...

, Harry became just the ninth true freshman in school history to start a season opener. In his freshman season, Harry posted 58 catches for 659 yards and five touchdowns. Additionally, Harry ran for 69 yards and scored twice, and completed a 46-yard pass of his own. For his efforts in his rookie year, N'Keal was honored by Scout, Football Focus, and Campus Insiders as a Freshman All-American. During his sophomore campaign, Harry had 82 catches for 1142 yards and 8 touchdowns earning him First-team All-Pac-12 Conference honors. Harry's junior season began with media accolades, as he was selected to the 2018

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preseason All-American team. On Saturday, October 27, he made one of the greatest catches in football history according to Colin Cowherd. His acrobatic one-handed catch, along with a punt return touchdown, helped lead the Sun Devils to a win over the

USC Trojans The USC Trojans (also Southern California Trojans) are the College athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Southern California (USC) in Los Angeles. While the men's teams are nicknamed the ...

, cementing his legacy as one of the greatest receivers to don an Arizona State uniform. The following week N'Keal Harry scored three touchdowns in an upset over #15

Utah Utes The Utah Utes are the college athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletics teams that represent the University of Utah, located in Salt Lake City. The athletic department is named after the Ute tribe of Native Americans in the Unite ...

. After the comeback win against the

Arizona Wildcats The Arizona Wildcats are the sport, athletic teams that represent the University of Arizona, located in Tucson, Arizona, Tucson. The Wildcats compete at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I (NCAA Divis ...

on November 24, he announced that he would forgo his senior year and enter the

College statistics

Professional career

New England Patriots

2019 season

Harry was selected by the

in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft with the 32nd overall pick. He was the second wide receiver to be selected in the first round that year, behind Marquise Brown (

Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its home g ...

, 25th overall). Harry was also the first wide receiver that Patriots head coach

Bill Belichick William Stephen Belichick ( ; born April 16, 1952) is an American football coach who is the head coach for the North Carolina Tar Heels. Widely regarded as one of the greatest head coaches of all time, he holds numerous coaching records, inc ...

drafted in the first round during his tenure with the Patriots and the first wide receiver the Patriots drafted in the first round since Terry Glenn in

1996 1996 was designated as: * International Year for the Eradication of Poverty Events January * January 8 – A Zairean cargo plane crashes into a crowded market in the center of the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo ...

. On May 14, 2019, Harry signed a 4-year deal with the Patriots worth $10.1 million featuring a $5.3 million signing bonus. On September 2, 2019, he was placed on

injured reserve The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in ...

as a result of the ankle injury he sustained during training camp. On November 2, 2019, Harry was activated off injured reserve. On November 24, 2019, Harry caught his first career receiving touchdown off a 10-yard pass from

Tom Brady Thomas Edward Patrick Brady Jr. (born August 3, 1977) is an American former professional American football, football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 23 seasons. He spent his first 20 seasons with the New Engla ...

in the 13–9 win over the

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. T ...

. During a Week 14 matchup with the

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division. Established in 1959 ...

, Harry caught a short pass and ran into the endzone, seemingly scoring a touchdown on the play. However, Jerome Boger's referee crew ruled him out of bounds and the Patriots could not challenge the ruling. Harry left the game with a hip injury after this play. In Week 15, Harry caught two passes for 15 yards and a touchdown, and rushed two times for 22 yards in a 34–13 victory over the

Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its h ...

. As a rookie, he appeared in seven games in the regular season and totaled 12 receptions for 105 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns.

2020 season

In the season opener against the

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. The Dolphins compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team ...

, Harry finished with 5 receptions for 39 yards in the 21–11 win. In week 2, Harry finished with a career-high 8 receptions on 12 targets for 72 receiving yards against the

Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The club entered the NFL a ...

. On a week 4 Monday night game against the Chiefs, Harry recorded his first touchdown of the year on a pass from Jarrett Stidham, finishing the game with 3 receptions for 21 yards and a touchdown.

2021 season

On July 6, 2021, Harry requested to be traded from the Patriots. In a statement from his agent, Jamal Tooson, it is stated that a fresh start "before the start of training camp" would be the best for Harry. In the preseason, Harry suffered a shoulder injury and was ruled out for four weeks. He was placed on injured reserve on September 2, 2021. After the release of

Cam Newton Cameron Jerrell Newton (born May 11, 1989) is an American former professional American football, football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons, primarily with the Carolina Panthers. He is the NFL le ...

, Harry switched his jersey number from #15 to #1. He was activated on October 2. In Week 10, a game against the

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. The Browns compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team is named after ...

, Harry caught a 26-yard pass from backup quarterback

Brian Hoyer Axel Edward Brian Hoyer (born October 13, 1985) is an American professional American football, football quarterback. Since joining the NFL in 2009 as an undrafted free agent, he has started for eight different teams, the second-most in league hi ...

. The Patriots won 45–7. In Week 17, Harry was benched and made a healthy scratch. The Patriots declined the fifth-year option on Harry's contract on May 2, 2022, making him a free agent after the 2022 season.

Chicago Bears

On July 12, 2022, Harry was traded to the

for a seventh-round draft pick in the 2024 NFL draft. He was placed on injured reserve on September 1 with an ankle injury. He was activated on October 10. Harry made his season debut on October 24 against his former team, the Patriots.

Minnesota Vikings

Harry signed with the

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. The Vikings compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. Founded in 1960 as ...

on August 6, 2023. He was released on August 24. Harry was re-signed to the Vikings'

practice squad In gridiron football, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. They serve as extra players during the team's practices, often as part of the scou ...

on September 4. He was signed to the active roster on October 11. Harry was released by Minnesota on November 28. He was re-signed to the practice squad on December 4. The Vikings signed Harry to a reserve/future contract on January 8, 2024. On June 4, Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell announced that Harry would be transitioning from wide receiver to tight end. He was waived on August 27, and re-signed to the practice squad. He was released on October 21.

Seattle Seahawks

On November 11, 2024, the

signed Harry to their practice squad. He was released on December 3.

NFL career statistics

Regular season

Postseason

References

External links

Seattle Seahawks bioArizona State Sun Devils bio
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Harry, N'Keal 1997 births Living people Saint Vincent and the Grenadines players of American football Black Canadian players of American football Canadian players of American football Black Canadian sportsmen Canadian people of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines descent Saint Vincent and the Grenadines expatriates in the United States American football wide receivers American Christians Arizona State Sun Devils football players New England Patriots players Players of American football from Arizona Sportspeople from Chandler, Arizona Players of American football from Toronto Chicago Bears players Minnesota Vikings players Seattle Seahawks players Chandler High School (Arizona) alumni Players of American football from Ontario