Every so often, players will change positions in the National Football League. Those are often on the offensive and defensive lines or going from cornerback to safety. You don't often see skill position players switch positions.
That is what the Minnesota Vikings are asking N'Keal Harry to do going into his sixth season in the NFL. That is a massive challenge for him as it would be for any player in his position. The real question here is simple:
Can he do it?
Can N'Keal Harry make a successful move to tight end?
When I put out a call for questions last week, this is the first one that stood out because it's it's a fascinating topic.
With the recent news of N’Keal Harry switching to TE, are they any recent successful comparables and what are your thoughts on the potential outcomes?
— Yancy McFrondo (@lemoncashjeff) June 5, 2024
In general, this is a difficult question. There haven't been a lot of wide receivers to make the transition to tight end. Despite running routes and catching passes, the responsibilities that the two have are vastly different. You are asked to not just be a wide receiver but also an offensive tackle. Doing both really well can cause issues, as one requires more brute strength and technique with the other needing explosiveness and twitch.
The idea for the Vikings moving Harry to the inside is due to the lack of ability to separate on the outside. It plagued him in college at Arizona State and followed him to the NFL.
Even though the transition is difficult, there are some success stories. Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe was a wide receiver the first two seasons of his career before becoming one of the best tight ends to ever play the game.
Darren Waller also made a successful transition. In his fourth season, Waller had his first season at tight end and caught 90 passes fo 1,145 yards and three touchdowns with an even better season following that in 2020. Yes, his career ended rather poorly but the transition undoubtedly worked.
The real key to having any form of success at tight end is going to be Rober Tonyan. He was a wide receiver in college at Indiana State but made the transition once he got to the league. Tonyan has carved out a good career out of it and will be in the same position room as Harry.
Now, Harry is an interesting specimen. He is 6'5" tall and is bulked up to 240 lbs. During his limited playing time in 2023, he was deployed as a blocking weapon in 11 personnel sets. That seems to be the idea of moving him to tight end. He will be more of a flex tight end used in a similar way to T.J. Hockenson where Harry can use his ability as a wide receiver against lesser pass defenders, especially linebackers.
Putting Harry inline isn't something you'll want to do a lot until he really improves that brute strength. However, there is some benefit to moving him to tight end and the Vikings could see that impact quickly.
However, a move is not a cure-all. There have been plenty of players to try and make the move that have failed. Players like J.J. Arcega-Whiteside and Ricky Seales-Jones are two that immediately jump to mind. UFL wide receiver Hakeem Butler was briefly moved to tight end by the Philadelphia Eagles in 2020 before they released him.
There is also the element that players like Waller were freaky athletically and that's something Harry just isn't. He needs to use his frame to create separation when running routes and has struggled historically to create any separation. With the great athletes across the board in the NFL, it could still be a major issue.
There will be a steep learning curve for Harry, but it wouldn't be smart to write him off just yet. Keeping an open mind about the change is the best course of action because it's an unknown right now.
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