Want a mulligan? These WRs were drafted after N'Keal Harry in 2019
N'Keal Harry's zero-catch performance against Denver was the latest disappointment for a receiver who hasn't been able to equal the production of other receivers taken much later than him in the 2019 NFL Draft.
Round 1, Pick 32
Stats: 43 receptions, 397 yards, 4 TD (20 regular season games)
N'Keal Harry was held without a catch (on only two targets) against the Broncos Sunday, the eighth time in 13 career games that he's finished with two receptions or fewer.
He's averaging under 23 receiving yards per game and under 10 yards per catch -- not the type of production the Patriots were hoping for when they drafted him with the final pick of the first round in the 2019 NFL Draft, the first time Bill Belichick used a first-round pick on a wideout.
Perry: Trying to find an explanation for Harry's disappearing act
Round 2, Pick 36
Stats: 90 receptions, 1,193 yards, 4 TD; 22 rush, 185 yds, 3 TD
Taken just four picks after Harry, Samuel has been heavily involved in the 49ers offense from the get-go, finishing his rookie season as San Francisco's second-leading receiver (behind George Kittle) in targets, catches, and yards. Samuel already has three 100-yard games on his résumé, and he's also a threat on the ground, where he scored three touchdowns last season.
The contrast between Harry and Samuel was stark on Sunday: while Harry was held without a catch, Samuel sealed the Niners' win with a play that Kyle Shanahan described "as impressive a run as I've ever seen."
Round 2, Pick 51
Stats: 112 receptions, 1,975 yards, 18 TD
All Titans wideout A.J. Brown did in his rookie season was turn into one of the most dangerous deep threats in the league, finishing second in the league with an impressive 20.2 yards per reception, over 1,000 receiving yards and eight touchdowns.
Round 2, Pick 56
Stats: 65 receptions, 1,073 yards, 10 TD; 36 kickoff returns, 24.7 yds/KO return, TD
Hardman has fit right into the Chiefs' dynamic attack as a playmaker for Patrick Mahomes. Though he only has nine more receptions than N'Keal Harry, he has 461 more yards than the Patriots WR thanks to his great speed.
He's also a special teams standout, finishing his rookie campaign as the sixth-ranked ranked kickoff returner (over 26 yards per return, including a 104-yard TD return) and the fifth-ranked punt returner in the league.
Round 2, Pick 64
Stats: 138 receptions, 2,182 yards, 17 TD
No receiver from the 2019 draft class has found the end zone as often as the 6-foot-4, 230-pound Metcalf, whom Russell Wilson is already describing as "one of the best receivers in the game."
After racking up 900 yards in his first season, Metcalf is on pace to smash that in his sophomore season, leading the league in yards per reception (22.5 yards) and ranking sixth in yardage (496) through six weeks. The scary part for the rest of the league? Metcalf didn't play much at Ole Miss, so his raw talents are still developing.
Curran: Is it worth it for Pats to deal for a WR this season?
Round 3, Pick 66
Stats: 144 receptions, 1,508 yards, 12 TD
After finishing his rookie season as the Steelers' second-leading receiver, Johnson was developing some good chemistry with Ben Roethlisberger to start this season (14 receptions on 23 targets for 149 yards in two games) before getting sidelined with several injuries.
Johnson was also impactful on special teams as a rookie, when he led the league with a 12.4 yard average on punt returns and was named to the All-Pro Second Team as a punt return specialist.
Round 3, Pick 76
Stats: 138 receptions, 1,997 yards, 10 TD
No receiver drafted in 2019 has filled up the stat sheet like McLaurin, who has been Washington's top wideout from Week 1. The former Ohio State standout accumulated more yardage in the first four games of his rookie season than N'Keal Harry has to this point of his career.
Round 5, Pick 149
Stats: 102 receptions, 1,237 yards, 6 TD
When Hunter Renfrow was going through the pre-draft process, many pegged him as a prototypical Patriot -- and the Clemson star was all for it, saying he would love to be a Patriot and that he had a dream where he was playing alongside Tom Brady.
He finally came off the board near the top of Round 5. Renfrow finished his rookie season with back-to-back 100-yard games, two more than Harry, whose career high is only 72 yards in a game.
Round 5, Pick 171
Stats: 96 receptions, 1,469 yards, 11 TD
Perhaps the best bang-for-your-buck selection of the 28 wide receivers drafted in 2019, Slayton was taken with the third-to-last pick of Round 5 -- and continues to use that as motivation.
Slayton's eight touchdowns last year were the most by a rookie receiver taken in the fifth round or later since Marques Colston in 2006 -- and he's the Giants' top target again this season, tacking on two more 100-yard games in six weeks.
