NFL trade rumors: Could Giants be interested in Patriots WR N’Keal Harry?

Teams have reached out to the New England Patriots inquiring about a possible trade for wide receiver N’Keal Harry, according to the NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo. Are the New York Giants one of those teams?

There are a number of factors to suggest that they might be.

For starters, the Giants need to improve their receiving corps. They needed to improve it following the 2019 season and the same is true following 2020. New York had one of the worst offenses in the league last season, compiling just 299.6 yards per game (ranked second-to-last in the league). The passing game in particular was ranked fourth-worst in the league with 189.1 yards per game. The receivers struggled with separation, drops and explosiveness.

So, the Giants should be in the market for a wide receiver. But is Harry the right guy?

The No. 32 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft has compiled just 45 catches for 414 yards with four touchdowns over the course of his first two seasons in the league. Harry has recorded more than 50 yards receiving just once in his 21 games played.

There has to be a reason the Patriots would be interested in trading him and the numbers provide a justification. He has not been the standout receiver he was projected to be coming out of Arizona State and Bill Belichick has of course shown over the years that he has no trouble moving on from players who not living up to their potential.

But the questions remains if Harry might play better elsewhere. At only 23 years old, Harry potentially has a lot of good years ahead of him.

This is where the Giants enter the conversation again. Joe Judge was Harry’s position coach in New England in 2019.

Judge said the following about Harry in a 2019 interview with masslive.com.

“He missed a lot of ball early on,” Judge said. “He had the IR situation. You can only do so much when you’re working to get back off of injury. He did a good job as far as getting his body healthy and he came back.

“You don’t just jump back in. It’s not fantasy football where you take players, plug ‘em in, and all of a sudden everyone starts collecting points. It takes a lot to find a rhythm and find some confidence in the offense, but he’s done a good job.”

“I have been (pleased),” Judge said. “That’s definitely shown. It’s something we saw when he was in college, a strength that we liked about him. He plays with a good aggressiveness. He plays to his size, which is key. You can’t have a big guy try to play small. And he’s played up to how big he is right now.”

At 6-foot-4, 225 pounds, Harry is the type of big-bodied receiver that GM Dave Gettleman has shown a liking for in the past. So potentially, Harry could have fans in both Judge and Gettleman.

It would of course take a certain price to get Harry out of New England after just two seasons. But wide receiver is a crucial position worth spending money on this offseason as the Giants look to improve an offense that was virtually nonexistent last year.

Trading Harry to the Giants could give both parties what they need: more depth at the receiver position for the Giants, and a fresh start for Harry.

Your thoughts, Giants fans?