49ers 2019 NFL Draft prospect profile: Wide Receiver N’Keal Harry

The San Francisco 49ers have made no secret of their desire to add to the receiving corps via the 2019 NFL Draft. Arizona State wide receiver N’Keal Harry is one of several that could be a candidate for the second round.

The San Francisco 49ers are not done with the receiving corps, at least according to head coach Kyle Shanahan.

The Niners have been meeting with various receivers and going to various pro days, and Arizona State’s N’Keal Harry is one of the latest with the 49ers attending his pro day.

San Francisco is looking for a guy who can help the team in the red zone and score touchdowns. Can Harry be the guy the Niners target in the draft for that role?

Let’s take a look.

N’Keal Harry’s strengths

First and foremost, the best attribute that Harry possesses is his hands. He has the ability to make adjustments in the air as well as take contested catches. His strength helps in this regard, too, as he muscles the ball off defensive backs who often can’t match his power.

Despite being a relatively tall receiver at 6-foot-2 (according to his combine measurements), Harry has a good talent for finding yards after the catch. He was explosive enough to be the kick returner for Arizona State as well, and has the ability to make teams pay if they leave him in space.

There were some concerns about Harry and his ability to separate, as highlighted by NFL Mocks’ Andrew Kim:

"N’Keal Harry does struggle with press coverage and separating against faster defensive backs down the field on the outside as he does play better on the inside in the slot. Harry can separate but tougher competition has slowed his production down."

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Harry answered some of these issues at the combine with good agility tests and a decent 4.54 40-yard dash at a weight of 228 pounds, he has functional agility and the athletic ability to get better.

One last underrated aspect of his game is his blocking ability. He does have good technique and strength to get in at defensive backs, and so can be on the field for running plays.

N’Keal Harry weaknesses

The biggest knock on Harry has been his questionable ability to separate from defenders at the professional level. His results (a 10-foot-2 broad jump and a 38.5-inch vertical) showed off explosiveness, but there are still some question marks that may see him fall into the second round there.

There have been questions about his effort and character at Arizona State, as per this Draft Network report:

"There have been concerns with Harry’s effort and practice character for multiple seasons now at ASU, and those effort question marks show up on tape. Harry is lazy in his route stems and releases, which makes life more difficult on his QB than it needs to be, and he will get out-competed for the football as a result of sloppy play."

Walter Football has reported that Harry interviewed extremely well at the NFL Scouting Combine, which will go some way to rehabilitating his draft stock. But similar to his performance on the field at the combine, these interviews off it may not be enough to convince teams he’s worth picking early.

Finally, his route running is not what you would call a finished product. Arizona State had him running a mostly limited set of routes, and he will need to do more at the pro level. A team drafting him must be patient in teaching him the entire route tree and utilizing it in games.

How he’d fit with the 49ers

Harry projects as an X-receiver (or split end), according to The Draft Network, however this role seems pretty set with wide receivers Marquise Goodwin and Dante Pettis.

However with that said, Pettis can move pretty much anywhere you could want to put a receiver. So it isn’t out of the question that Harry could be seen as an X-receiver.

Personally I think a spot at Z-receiver (or flanker) could be where Harry fits best. Kendrick Bourne and Jordan Matthews both have promise, but both can be easily supplanted on the depth chart too.

Harry possesses the tools needed to possibly be the 49ers answer at the position.

The question is if the Niners see it the same way. If he’s available at No. 36, his name may be the one called by the 49ers on draft day.