Former first-round pick N’Keal Harry has landed at his third NFL home in five years, signing as a free agent with the Vikings, according to Vikings senior editor Craig Peters.
The former Patriots and Bears wide receiver will attempt to stick in a wide receivers room that currently houses three other former first-round picks.
Harry’s first few years in the league have been anything but smooth. Ankle and hip injuries limited the Arizona State star to only seven games as a rookie. In his sophomore season, Harry was finally able to get on the field, resulting in career-highs in receptions (33), receiving yards (309) and touchdowns (two).
After that season, Harry’s career experienced a bit of turbulence as he requested a trade from New England before the start of the 2021 season. Another testing injury, along with a likely marred relationship with the team, led to a year of regression that ultimately resulted in the young wide out being shipped to Chicago in return for a 2024 seventh-round pick.
Unfortunately for Harry, before he could even really get settled in Illinois, injuries were nagging at him yet again. An apparently severe ankle injury that would require surgery forced the Bears to start their new wide receiver out on injured reserve.
Harry would log a catch in all but one appearance in a Bears uniform, but unfortunately, he would only suit up for seven games and make seven catches. The Patriots had declined his fifth-year option as a first-round pick, so following his fourth NFL season, the Bears allowed him to walk as a free agent.
Now, Harry will take on his third chance, hoping to catch passes from Kirk Cousins in Minnesota. He’ll have to climb a depth chart that is a bit top-heavy. Two of the team’s top-three receivers last year, Justin Jefferson and K.J. Osborn, will return in 2024 to lead the group.
The absence formed by Adam Thielen‘s departure for Carolina will be mitigated by the addition of rookie first-round pick Jordan Addison out of USC.
Past those three, one would assume jobs are fairly wide open. Another first-round pick who has struggled to find his role in the NFL, Jalen Reagor returns for a second year with the Vikings. He’s joined backing up the starters by former Rams wide receiver Brandon Powell, sixth-round rookie Jalen Nailor and others.
Harry hasn’t done much with his career thus far, but he still has the physical tools that helped him excel as a Sun Devil. If he can gain a rapport with Cousins and provide some tools that the others on the team can’t, Harry has a chance to compete with Reagor, Powell and Nailor for snaps behind Jefferson, Osborn, and Addison.
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