Tom Brady was MVP of four of them.Deion Branch was the MVP of Super Bowl XXXIX in 2005.Now
White Dont’a Hightower Jersey , Julian Edelman has joined them.Edelman caught 10 passes for 141 yards, with eight going for first downs. He had catches on both
of the Patriots’ scoring drives.Edelman also had one carry for 8 yards.He beat
out defensive teammates Dont'a Hightower and Stephon Gilmore as well as running
back Sony Michel. Hightower had two sacks, Gilmore a sack and a forced fumble
and Michel rushed for 94 yards and the game’s only touchdown.“He deserves it,”
Brady told CBS’ Jim Nantz in the postgame ceremony. “That was one of the best
games he’s ever played.”Edelman now ranks second all-time in playoff receiving
yards with 1,412. Only Jerry Rice, with 2,245, has more.It was quite a season
for Edelman as he began it with a four-game suspension for performance enhancing
drugs. He finished the regular season with 74 catches for 850 yards and six
touchdowns in 12 games and then caught 26 passes for 388 yards in three
postseason games.“Sometimes the cookie crumbles that way,” Edelman said of
winning the MVP. “. . .It just matters that we won, man. It was a crazy year.”
Let’s dissect the Patriots’ first-round selection."WhitePatriots News Opinion
and Analysis Contribute! FanPostsFanShotsAbout the Site List of Patriots Twitter
AccountsWrite For Pats Pulpit!New User Welcome and Commenting GuideCommunity
GuidelinesMastheadTopics Patriots Off-Season CoveragePatriots
Opinion/AnalysisPatriots NewsPatriots Draft CoverageSportfolio ManagementNFL
DraftPatriots Opinion/AnalysisPatriots 2019 NFL Draft CoverageFilm room:
First-round draft pick N’Keal Harry fits the Patriots’ X-receiver mold
perfectlyNew,50commentsRead more: How N’Keal Harry fits into the Patriots
offenseEDTShareTweetShareShareFilm room: First-round draft pick N’Keal Harry
fits the Patriots’ X-receiver mold perfectlyMark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY SportsAt
the end of the NFL draft’s first round, the New England Patriots decided to not
trade down but instead invest in one of the top wide receiver prospects
available: Arizona State’s N’Keal Harry
Dont’a Hightower Jersey 2019 , who will add size and physicality to the Patriots’ receiving group — two elements that the team lost when tight end Rob
Gronkowski retired last month. Harry will not replace Gronk one-for-one, of
course, but he should help soften the blow.Generally, it is easy to see why the
team liked him when looking at the tape. He is a big receiver who has strong
hands, excellent vision and plays with a physical edge. All in all, he fits New
England’s X-receiver mold perfectly — but his talents extend beyond just one
particular role, as he also possesses the versatility to be moved around the
formation to be used against the best available matchups.Let’s dive into Harry’s
film to find out exactly what he might bring to the table for the Patriots in
2019 and beyond.Contested catch abilityOne of Harry’s defining attributes is his
ability to come down with the football in traffic — to a certain degree similar
to what Rob Gronkowski brought to the offense. One reason for that is his
knowledge of route concepts and how to best get himself in position to make a
play on the football. The following reception against Oregon illustrates how
some good route-running in combination with a bigger frame leads to a
reception:Running and out-and-up route combination, Harry was able to shake free
of the cornerback to give quarterback Manny Wilkins confidence in his receiver.
Despite the defensive back right on his hips, the wideout then successfully
climbed up the ladder to catch the pass through contact. Jump passes similar to
this one will undoubtably be in the books for Harry considering his frame and
experience making contested catches.The same also is on display on the following
play, when is covered in an off-man defense:Running and in-cutting route, Harry
was able to haul in a low pass despite Oregon’s defender getting his hand in the
breadbasket at the perfect time. However, Arizona State’s receiver was able to
stay in possession of the ball through the breakup attempt — displaying strong
hands together with solid concentration and also a nice
White Donald Trump Jerseys , quick in-cut at the top of his route.As noted above, Harry’s route running and spatial awareness of his defensive matchup is
generally one of the reasons why he is a successful contested/jump ball catcher.
The following play, despite being an incompletion, is another example of
it:Harry was in a position to make a play on the ball had it not been thrown his
way late and to the wrong location. Nevertheless, the wideout did a good job
getting in the area between the cornerback’s back and the boundary to put
himself in a position for a back-shoulder catch. This ability should certainly
come in handy in the NFL, and when playing with a quarterback like Tom Brady
that trust his receivers to make plays.Yards after the catchHarry isn’t the
speediest of wide receivers, but he certainly is able to break away from the
defense for additional yardage after the catch. The following play against UTSA
is a good example of that:Originally aligning on the left-side perimeter, Harry
moved towards the middle of the field to plug a short pass out of the air —
despite plenty of traffic surrounding him. Again, however, he made the grab and
immediately got spun around before heading up the field. Finding a hole behind a
block, the pass catcher gradually built up speed and in combination with some
good downfield blocking was able to take the short pass for a 58-yard
touchdown.His vision to find holes and make defenders miss also is an asset in
the screen game, as can be seen on this play:Again
Donald Trump Jerseys 2019 , Harry registered a short reception on an in-breaking motion and in combination with some good blocking in front of him was able to
head down the field almost immediately — something former Patriots wide receiver
Danny Amendola excelled at during his time in New England. Originally moving
towards the boundary, Harry moved back inwards to shake his man before fighting
through traffic to the first down marker.Plays like this a stable of Rob
Gronkowski’s skill set: defenders all over him, still being able to keep the
legs moving. Gronkowski, of course, was in his own league when it came to
fighting through contact, but Harry has some positive attributes in this area as
well.PhysicalityOne reason for that is the 21-year-old’s physical play as both a
receiver and a blocker in the running and screen game. First, a look at him
out-muscling a defensive back for a reception:Starting in the left-side slot,
Harry ran down the field before moving inside at the top of his route. He used
his comparatively massive 6’2 frame to shield himself and the ball from the
defender in coverage to make the reception. Given his combination of size,
length and strength in combination with solid hands and an ability to time his
jump perfectly, the cornerback guarding Harry had little chance of making a play
on the ball without interfering with the receiver.As noted above, his
physicality is also on display in the running game:On this play, we can see
Harry getting his hands dirty as a blocker for Arizona State’s rushing attempt.
Going against a cornerback
White Stephen Gostkowski Jerseys , the wideout got a solid initial push to the inside in order to move the defender away from the potential rushing
lane. He then followedthis push up by heading up the field looking for the next
player to block — which he did until the whistle was blown. All in all, Harry’s
blocking in the ground game certainly contributed to the Patriots having him
high on their draft board.Room for growthAs with every rookie, of course, there
is still room for growth when it comes to entering the NFL. The following three
plays illustrate areas that Harry has to address. Luckily, neither of those are
irreparable issues that might hinder his development at the next level.Let’s
start with a simple drop:Usually a strong pass catcher, Harry struggled with
concentration drops every now and then. All in all, Pro Football Focus credited
him with six drops in 2018 and some — like this one above — are simply the
result of the receiver losing focus by taking his eyes off the ball to soon to
brace for potential contact. As said above, the issue should not be considered
major at this point in time and especially considering that Harry will now play
with one of the best ball-placement passers the NFL has ever seen.One aspect
that has been mentioned quite a lot when it comes to Harry is his lack of
explosiveness off the ball. This is certainly something to keep an eye on,
because it sometimes hindered his ability to enter his routes:To make up for his
explosiveness, Harry oftentimes relied on a motor release to try and get
defensive backs to open their hips. If the defender does not bite, however, this
presents a problem for the receiver: he lacks the burst to simply run by them
and can get eliminated from a play if hesitating too much — especially if it
also messes up the timing of the play. The Patriots’ coaching staff will likely
find a way to mask this problem
Stephen Gostkowski Jerseys 2019 , but it is also something the player himself has to recognize and work on.The third aspect in which Harry still has
room for growth is him keeping his cards close to the vest at the begging of a
play — something he did not do on this example:As opposed to Pac-12 cornerbacks,
those in the NFL will find a way to take advantage if a receiver tips his hand
too soon — the play above would therefore likely result in an interception (or
worse) at the next level. Again, however, this is mostly a question of coaching.
Just like the rest of Harry’s relative shortcomings at the moment, it can and
will be worked on by New England’s staff.All in all, the Patriots invested in a
very polished receiver that still has some room to grow: he can eliminate his
issues to become more consistent and simultaneously has an intriguing foundation
as a physical player capable of making tough catches and generating yards after
receptions. It will certainly be interesting to see how New England offensive
coordinator Josh McDaniels uses Harry’s talents in 2019 and beyond.
