Patriots ink massive RFA WR; could be exactly what they need

The Patriots recently signed rookie free agent Mark Harrison out of Rutgers (yes, another Rutgers guy). Anyways, you could easily get excited, like I did, when you see this guy's physical attributes. According to WEEI's blog, the rookie WR stands at 6'3" and 235 lbs. Now you may think that this may be too big for a wide receiver, as opposed to a tight end, but this type of size is exactly what the Patriots needed at the wide receiver position.

The Patriots receiving core hasn't had that big-man presence since Randy Moss was traded a few years ago. Of course there haven't been too many complaints, with the offense flourishing even after that trade. TE Rob Gronkowski has since filled that 'physical' and 'big-man' role. With Gronk expected to miss the beginning of the season however, it looks like it was time to find a new big-guy.

By no means am I claiming that Mark Harrison could end up being an All-Star, but I think it is a safe assumption to say this guy could be a force to be reckoned with. Lets take a quick look at his college statistics;

Wide receiver Mark Harrison was a three-year starter at Rutgers who finished his college career with 107 receptions for 1,769 yards and 18 touchdowns. A starter as a sophomore, he had 44 receptions for 829 yards and led the Big East with nine touchdowns. After struggling a bit as a junior, in 2012, Harrison played in 13 games with 11 starts, and he finished with 44 receptions for 583 yards and six touchdowns.

A projected mid-round NFL Draft pick, Harrison's stock plummeted for whatever reason. It has been speculated that the reason was an attitude issue, injury, or both. Reports have surfaced that the Chicago Bears were turned away by an apparent foot injury that Harrison had, but has since been cleared. Another report came out that Harrison was one of the players who's hotel room for the NFL Combine was trashed, although Rutgers head coach Kyle Flood defended his players integrity;

“I’ve been on a lot of road trips and we’ve never had a single disciplinary issue with [Harrison]. He’s a model of the type of person we want here at Rutgers. It would be so out of character to be involved in this that I just cannot imagine under any circumstance that it would happen and involve him.”

When it comes down to it, it looks like Harrison is a solid player who got a bad wrap. He certainly impressed at the combine, posting fantastic numbers for the vertical and broad jump tests. Speed may not be his greatest skill, but his other abilities and physical attributes make this signing a good move by the Patriots.

Anthony Aidonidis
@aidonidis18