New England Patriots: WR Chris Harper could be X-Factor

The New England Patriots are known for making big names out of lesser known prospects. We all know that Tom Brady was a sixth round pick back in 2000, but what about some of the other household names with the Pats? Does the name David Givens ring a bell?

More recently, how about the name Malcolm Butler? Seattle Seahawks fans would prefer to forget that name…

There are countless ‘no-name’ players for the Patriots who have made a huge impact with Bill Belichick running the show, and this year should be no different. The Patriots were strapped for cash this offseason, and lost some big name players that they did have and had to replace them with — you guessed it — players of the lesser-known variety.

One such player is undrafted free agent Chris Harper of Cal, who wound up making the final 53-man roster after a stellar preseason for the Patriots. Harper doesn’t look like much, but he’s phenomenal and made some great catches this preseason to gain some national attention.

Harper is buried on the depth chart — for now — but he has a chance to make an impact at some point this season in a thin Patriots receiver group.

Why we like Chris Harper

Excellent quickness
Strong hands
Good change of direction
Body control, especially near sideline
Ability to high-point the ball
Big play ability

It was a wonder Harper wasn’t drafted. He wasn’t even invited to the Scouting Combine. We’ve seen some gems like this around the league make rosters while plenty of players that were actually drafted were cut from their teams. In our scouting report of Harper, I said I thought he could be one of the biggest steals of the draft. It turns out, he wasn’t. He was a steal of the UDFA crop, and the Patriots — because, of course they would — snatched him up.

He didn’t make the team by accident, even though the Patriots were a little thin at receiver. This guy can really play, and the rest of the NFL world might find that out sooner rather than later.

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