It is the preseason and these are the New England Patriots, so just like that “clam chowda” (insert Boston accent here), take this update with a grain of saltines.
N’Keal Harry’s Situation
You paid a fortune for N’Keal Harry in your recent rookie drafts and now you hear he is spending time with the two’s. It’s understandable for you to pace back and forth across the hardwood floor in your studio apartment… but R-E-L-A-X. New England is an unforgiving place for young wide receivers, and this new N’Keal wrinkle isn’t the first time it’s happened. Remember second-round draft pick Aaron Dobson? I don’t either. To be perfectly clear though, this is not me sounding the alarm on Harry’s future (whatsoever) after seven training camp practices into his rookie season. He’s a Breakout Finder all-time favorite with an incredible floor. This is just us getting to know surging UDFA Jakobi Meyers.
Undrafted free agent WR Jakobi Meyers has consistently made plays in competitive situations. Has out-performed N’Keal although again, we’re just a week in. #Patriots
— Michael Giardi (@MikeGiardi) August 1, 2019
There is obviously an immense amount of hype around the undrafted rookie so why don’t we dig deeper into his Breakout Finder profile for a better look?
The Breakout Finder Breakdown
Among fellow 2019 draft class men, Meyers is all over the board with his Breakout Finder scoring, which is not a surprise considering he went undrafted. Yet the late college production was obviously there for the NC State wideout who (while sharing a field with Kelvin Harmon) had an above-average sophomore season and an impressive junior season.
As a 44th percentile SPARQ-x athlete with an age 20.8 (43rd percentile) breakout age, Meyers doesn’t scream “can’t miss” yet despite the subpar athleticism, he found a way to remain highly productive at NC State..
Since its inception, the Breakout Finder has chewed up and spit out prospects with the same cut of cloth as Jakobi, but his case is different. Here is how Jakobi ranks in our scoring system among the rest of the 2019 wide receiver rookie class:
Nothing about Meyers stands out as a prolific versus the 2019 wide receiver field in the Breakout Finder database. However, any teammate score at all is always something to pay attention to — especially when it comes with quality production (see: Meyers’ junior season). As noted earlier, Meyers played alongside Harmon, a player that had early Day Two NFL draft expectations until his NFL Combine performance melted faster than the Wicked Witch of the West caught in a torrential downpour. Meyers even spent a fair amount of time with Jaylen Samuels, another well-known NFL sleeper. The point is, that despite these opportunity hurdles, Jakobi produced… and that counts.
As an undrafted free agent, the odds of success are always a long shot, but with Meyers’ go-to receiver experience, strong work ethic, and an obvious chip on his shoulder, it’s no surprise that he’s looked good this early in camp. New England has a track record of giving late-round/UDFA wideouts real opportunities. With the Patriots’ razor-thin receiver depth chart (and the camp buzz surrounding Meyers), I wouldn’t put it past him to make the roster, and then some.
As for Harry, the New England Patriots invested early round NFL draft capital in him. If you did the same in your rookie or start-up drafts then it may be time to grab that bowl of clam chowder and toss on your Tom Brady-autographed UGGs while you ride out this nauseating Boston media storm.