Bill Belichick is arguably the greatest coach in NFL history. He and Tom Brady led the New England Patriots to six Super Bowl titles and three more appearances during their 20 years together.
While Belichick's a legendary head coach, his track record as general manager is spotty. That's especially true when it comes to wide receivers.
Belichick has found a few gems like Julian Edelman, Deion Branch, and David Givens. But other than that, it's been a position that has given Belichick fits during the draft. His misses have included Bethel Johnson (Round 2, 2003), Chad Jackson (Round 2, 2006), Brandon Tate (Round 3, 2009), Aaron Dobson (Round 2, 2013), and N'Keal Harry (Round 1, 2019).
Harry, who the Patriots traded to the Bears on Tuesday for a 2024 seventh-round pick, might be the biggest whiff of them all, given who was drafted in the following rounds.
Deebo Samuel, A.J. Brown, DK Metcalf, and Mecole Hardman were all selected in the second round, while Terry McLaurin and Diontae Johnson went in the third round.
Belichick's selection of Harry wasn't some off-the-board gambit. A big-body receiver with solid hands and great body control, Harry was believed to be a fringe first-round talent coming out of Arizona State. Things just never materialized for him in Foxboro. He was frozen out of the offense after failing to gain Brady's trust in 2019 and never escaped Belichick's dog house in two subsequent seasons.
Now, the Bears will try to capitalize on one of Belichick's worst draft misses. The Bears hope Belichick's evaluation was correct and that first-round talent taken ahead of some of the NFL's stars will shine through in a new environment.
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Given Belichick's shaky track record with receivers, that might be wishful thinking. But for the rebuilding Bears, there's no reason not to take a chance on N'Keal Harry.