Arizona State WR N’Keal Harry declares for 2019 NFL Draft
Nov 26, 2018, 11:11 AM | Updated: 4:12 pm
Arizona State wide receiver N'Keal Harry (1) fends off Utah defensive back Jaylon Johnson in the second half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Nov. 3, 2018, in Tempe, Ariz. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
(AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
TEMPE, Ariz. — Arizona State receiver N’Keal Harry will forego his senior season and enter the 2019 NFL Draft, he announced on Monday.
“This has been a great ride. This has been a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, something that I’ll take with me the rest of my life,” Harry said.
“This definitely was not an easy decision. I truly do love this university. This place has given me opportunities I’ve only dreamt of,” he added. “I really feel like I’m leaving this place as a grown man.”
Harry, who ESPN’s Todd McShay has projected as a first-round pick in 2019, has yet to decide if he will play in the Sun Devils’ upcoming bowl game.
ASU head coach Herm Edwards told Doug & Wolf on 98.7 FM Arizona’s Sports Station earlier Monday that he had already discussed Harry’s bowl game eligibility with the receiver.
“I always side on the side of the player,” Edwards said. “I’m going to do what’s best for the football player every time.”
As a junior this season, the product out of Chandler High School pulled in 73 receptions for 1,088 yards (14.9 yards per catch) and nine touchdowns. His best season came as a sophomore, when the 6-foot-4, 213-pound Harry caught 82 balls for 1,142 yards.
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Edwards compared Harry’s skillset to former Cowboys receiver Dez Bryant.
“Big strong physical guy, can make a contested catch,” Edwards said. “There’s a lot of boxes that he checks off. Probably biggest box that he checks off — and I’ve discussed it with the pro guys — he loves to compete. It’s no longer a hobby, it’s your career. You have to go take someone’s job.
“This becomes your life. You have to invest in it. He’s done that. He’s done that as a college player.”
Harry is third in ASU history with 213 career receptions, trailing just Derek Hagan’s 258 (2002-05) and D.J. Foster’s 222 (2012-15). He’s also third, behind Hagan and John Jefferson (1974-77), with 2,889 receiving yards over his three seasons as a Sun Devil.
Harry leaves ASU tied for fifth in school history with 22 receiving touchdowns.
“This state has given me so much,” said Harry, who chose to stay close to home and committed to ASU after playing at nearby Chandler High School. “Being just a kid from a small island (St. Vincent), ending up in Arizona, this state means the world to me.”
At receiver, Arizona State will have redshirt sophomore Frank Darby and juniors Kyle Williams and Brandon Aiyuk returning next season. Each of them recorded more than 400 receiving yards this year.
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