Patriots Draft Arizona State WR N'Keal Harry

The New England Patriots selected Arizona State wide receiver N'Keal Harry with the No. 32 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. Harry (6’3/228) is a physical 21-year-old wideout who maximizes his size and athleticism.

Harry addresses a major need for the Patriots, who lost Rob Gronkowski (retirement) and Chris Hogan (free agency) in the offseason. With WR Josh Gordon suspended indefinitely, Harry has the opportunity to make an immediate impact in his rookie season in New England.

The Patriots selected ASU's N'Keal Harry with their first pick of the 2019 NFL Draft. (Jennifer Stewart/Getty Images)

In three years with the Sun Devils, Harry, a two-time All-Pac-12 selection, logged 2,889 receiving yards and 22 touchdowns. He averaged 13.6 yards per reception and caught 85% of his targets. Harry recorded an impressive 7.1 yards-after-catch (YAC) this past season.

#ArizonaState WR N'Keal Harry is a unique player. He's built like a downfield threat as a jump ball guy but he might be the best YAC receiver in the class. He's impossible to bring down because of his frame/strength and his moves and vision in the open field are superb. pic.twitter.com/0TIs8gYPj4

— Evan Lazar (@ezlazar) February 9, 2019

A versatile player, Harry can line up as an outside receiver and in the slot. He is an elite route runner who has great hands.

Good night.@NkealHarry15 | #PatsDraft
pic.twitter.com/jKPKkabsRb

— New England Patriots (@Patriots) April 26, 2019

Patriots quarterback Tom Brady will love throwing to Harry. According to Pro Football Focus, Harry had the third-most contested catches in the NCAAF over the past two seasons and ranked first with a 57.5 contested catch percentage.

Harry is the first wide receiver taken in the first round in the Bill Belichick era. The last time the Patriots picked a wideout in the first round was 1996, when they drafted Terry Glenn with the 7th overall pick. Harry was one of just two receivers selected in the opening round of the 2019 NFL Draft, as the Baltimore Ravens nabbed Oklahoma WR Marquise Brown with the 25^th overall pick.

Panthers Sign Chris Hogan

The Carolina Panthers have signed veteran free-agent receiver Chris Hogan to a one-year deal, according to multiple reports. Hogan spent the previous three years with the New England Patriots, reaching the Super Bowl in each season and winning the Lombardi Trophy twice.

Hogan struggled as the Patriots' featured wideout in 2018 when Julian Edelman was suspended for the first four games of the season for violating the NFL's policy on performance-enhancing substances. Having trouble breaking through the Patriots' undermanned receiver corps all year, Hogan caught just 35 passes and three TDs. He did turn those catches into 532 yards (15.2 yards per reception) and remained a deep-threat option because of his physical frame. The 6'1"/215 lb wideout could provide a red zone option for Panthers QB Cam Newton.

Turning 32 in October, Hogan will be the oldest wide receiver on Carolina's roster. D.J. Moore and Curtis Samuel are the featured wideouts for the Panthers, while Hogan and 30-year-old Torrey Smith will play complementary roles.

Hogan accumulated 107 receptions for 1,651 yards and 12 touchdowns in 40 regular-season games for the Patriots from 2016-18 . 

Hogan will be best remembered for his incredible performance in the 2016 AFC Championship against the Pittsburgh Steelers. In the Patriots' victory over the Steelers, Hogan registered nine receptions for 180 yards—a single-game playoff franchise record for receiving yards—with two touchdowns.

Kings Fire Dave Joerger

The Sacramento Kings fired head coach Dave Joerger on Thursday, less than 24 hours after the conclusion of the NBA's 2018-19 season. The Kings exceeded expectations, compiling a 39-43 record—their best mark since 2005-06—but Joerger was still let go with just one year remaining on his contract.

Joerger was fired after three seasons as Sacramento's head coach. (Gary A. Vasquez/USA Today Sports)

General manager Vlade Divac fired Joerger, who coached the Kings to a 98-148 record across three seasons. Sacramento was in the playoff hunt for much of the season, but stumbled down the stretch and won just nine of its final 25 games after the All-Star break.

"This year was a good season, but I think we could do more, especially after All-Star break," Divac said.

"After the All-Star break, I felt very confident we'd be in the race, and we were in the race," he said. "Unfortunately, we fell short."

Axing Joerger took many by surprise, especially with the franchise seemingly trending in the right direction. They have built a strong, young nucleus led by rising star De'Aaron Fox, leading scorer Buddy Hield and Marvin Bagley III, who had a terrific rookie campaign. 

With Fox spearheading the offense, the Kings upped their tempo dramatically from a season ago. The Kings averaged 114.2 points per contest, the ninth-best mark in the NBA. It was an increase of 15.4 points from last year when they finished last in the league at 98.8 points per game.

A rejuvenated offensive attack, a 12-win increase from the year prior and the franchise's best overall season in 13 years was evidently not enough to save Joerger's job.

Before his stint in Sacramento, Joerger previously coached the Memphis Grizzlies for three years, reaching the playoffs in each season. Joerger holds an overall record of 245-247 as an NBA head coach.