ESPN trade proposal would send Patriots wide receiver N’Keal Harry to the Jaguars

With the NFL trade deadline nearing, potential moves are being discussed all over the media. The latest to join is ESPN’s Bill Barnwell, who proposed 10 trades that could go down between now and November 2. Among them is one that would send New England Patriots wide receiver N’Keal Harry to the Jacksonville Jaguars.

In return, New England would receive fellow former first-round selection K’Lavon Chaisson:

Jaguars get: WR N’Keal Harry, 2022 fourth-round pick, 2023 sixth-round pick

Patriots get: OLB K’Lavon Chaisson, 2023 fifth-round pick

Let’s swap two disappointing first-round picks to places in which they might be able to thrive. Harry never seemed to settle in during his time in New England, and after failing to impress with Cam Newton in 2020, free-agent signings pushed him out of the rotation. The No. 32 overall pick in the 2019 draft only has two catches this season, but his 6-foot-4 frame could be valuable for a Jaguars team that doesn’t have a physical wideout with DJ Chark out for the season.

Chaisson was drafted by the now-deposed Dave Caldwell regime in Jacksonville, and while he entered the league as an exciting prospect and possible Anthony Barr clone, he has done little with the Jags. The No. 20 overall pick in the 2020 draft played about half of the defensive snaps last season, and despite moving into Year 2 for a defense that isn’t exactly filled with superstars, he has gotten similar playing time. Bill Belichick has a track record of trading for struggling high draft picks on defense and getting the most out of them; Chaisson would be the next in line.

Exchanging Harry and Chaisson would make sense for both organizations, with the Patriots’ perspective pretty straight forward: Harry’s agent requested a trade earlier this offseason, and so far the wide receiver has been quiet all year. Despite looking strong in training camp, a shoulder injury limited him to just three games and two receptions during the regular season.

Moving on from him in exchange for a second-year linebacker who has an intriguing athletic skillset would therefore look like a good move from New England’s point of view. While the team is not necessarily overflowing with wide receiver talent at the moment, Harry’s limited opportunities plus the fact that Malcolm Perry might be returning off injured reserve at one point in the future certainly puts this trade in the realm of possibility.