ALLEN PARK, Michigan — One moment, N'Keal Harry looked like a red-zone answer for the Patriots as they get accustomed to on-the-field life after Gronk. The next, Harry was down on the ground and grabbing at the back of his right leg.
It was an eventful practice for the first-round rookie when the Patriots and Lions squared off for the second consecutive day.
Harry — who stands at 6-foot-2, 225 pounds — started strong. On a fade to the back corner of the end zone off the fingertips of rookie quarterback Jarrett Stidham, Harry reached up, one-handed, and hauled down the contested catch. An official was right on top of the play and as he signaled that it was, in fact, a good catch, Harry got to his feet for a flexing, shouting celebration.
It was a grown-man play. Something corner Amani Oruwariye — a bigger corner at 6-2, 205 pounds — could do nothing about.
Soon thereafter, on a run play during an 11-on-11 period, Harry went to the ground and took a few extra moments to pop up. He grabbed at the back of his right leg and yelled. After meeting with head trainer Jim Whalen, he jogged a bit to seemingly keep things loose. He spoke briefly with Tom Brady and then went out onto the field with Whalen to chat with Bill Belichick. Harry went back to the sideline and continued to rub the back of his right leg.
It appeared as though his day might be done, but he was back on the field the next time the Patriots offense took the field for 11-on-11 work. He didn't run routes, but he did block and gave a representative effort.
New England Patriots
Harry didn't take on a full workload on the hills for conditioning after practice and he did not meet with reporters.
Tracking his availability in practice Wednesday and during Thursday's game will be fascinating as he projects to play a major role for an offense with a receiver group that is relatively thin behind Julian Edelman (not practicing due to a thumb injury) and Phillip Dorsett. Veteran free-agent acquisition Maurice Harris and young wideouts Jakobi Meyers and Braxton Berrios have shown promise at times in camp, but Harry has a unique skill set that would be particularly beneficial for a team that lost its best big-bodied red zone threat to retirement this offseason.
Camp Battles: Jakobi Meyers vs. Braxton Berrios>>>>>
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