The Minnesota Vikings have signed wide receiver N’Keal Harry to the practice squad. The 25-year-old signed with Minnesota this offseason after playing for Chicago in 2022. However, after missing the final preseason game with a soft-tissue injury, the Vikings released the former first-round pick. Harry accumulated just 24 yards with the NFC North club during the preseason.
N’Keal Harry: NFL Career
The New England Patriots selected Harry with the 32nd overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. The Arizona State product had back-to-back 1,000-yard campaigns with the Sun Devils before joining the NFL ranks. Harry played in seven games as a rookie, catching 12 passes for 105 yards and two scores. He posted a career-high 309 receiving yards and two scores in 14 games in 2020. After a subpar 2021, the lengthy wideout did not get his fifth-year option picked up by the Patriots.
The Patriots subsequently traded Henry to the Chicago Bears for a seventh-round pick. The Canadian native caught just seven passes in seven games with the Bears before landing with the Vikings this offseason.
Can N’Keal Harry Make an Impact with the Vikings in 2023?
The Minnesota Vikings house one of the best receiver rooms in the NFL. Megastar Justin Jefferson led the league with 128 receptions and 1,809 yards last year while also winning AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year. Minnesota also burned a first-round pick on USC WR Jordan Addiston in the 2023 NFL draft. Addison projects to play alongside Jefferson and mainstay K.J. Osborn. However, the Vikings have question marks at the receiver position after their top three guys.
Jalen Nailor and Brandon Powell are the remaining active wide receivers on the Minnesota roster. Nailor is a 2022 sixth-round pick out of Michigan State in 2022. He posted nine catches for 179 yards and one score in 15 games last year. Powell signed with the Vikings this offseason after spending the past two seasons with the Los Angeles Rams. He posted a career-high 24 receptions last season but is mainly known for his special teams ability.
N’Keal Harry is now one of four receivers on the Vikings’ practice squad. The former New England Patriot first-rounder joins XFL standout Lucky Jackson, undrafted rookie Thayer Thomas, and journeyman Triston Jackson. Harry has an outside chance to get elevated to the active roster, but an injury would likely need to occur. Harry would also need to outperform his fellow position mates on the practice squad.
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