McShay’s early 2019 NFL mock draft includes Sun Devil as first-round pick
May 5, 2018, 7:45 AM
Arizona State wide receiver N'Keal Harry, right, makes the catch in front of Arizona cornerback Lorenzo Burns during the second half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Nov 25, 2017, in Tempe, Ariz. Arizona State defeated Arizona 42-30. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
(AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
Among the many questions for the Arizona State football team heading into the first season under head coach Herm Edwards, the passing game isn’t one of them.
Starting quarterback Manny Wilkins returns with a wealth of experience from the last two seasons. Junior N’Keal Harry and sophomore Kyle Williams, the two leading receivers from 2017, are back. John Humphrey and Frank Darby are among the returning wideouts with two years of college eligibility left.
Stability is hard to find elsewhere on the roster, but the receiver position group is a known factor in 2018 — and theoretically should be the year after that.
The one thing stopping that is Harry’s ability to go pro after his junior season.
ESPN’s Todd McShay thinks he might be able to do so. In McShay’s way-too-early 2019 NFL mock draft, the draft guru projects Harry to go in the first round at No. 25 overall to the Houston Texas.
New ASU coach Herm Edwards will love having the big (6-4, 216) receiver who ranked second in the Pac-12 in receiving yards (1,142) in 2017, for at least another season.
Harry, a Chandler High School product, has been a rock since joining the Sun Devils.
As a freshman, he caught 58 balls for 659 yards and five touchdowns. Harry finished 2017 right on the 1,000-yard mark off 73 receptions, seven of which were touchdowns.
Now a junior, the 6-foot-4, 213-pound receiver has the potential to build his draft stock even further, and assuming Wilkins can put together a highly productive year and remain healthy, there’s few reasons why Harry can’t take another step forward.
It’s not crazy to think that next step is good enough to build first-round draft stock.
