Vikings are taking drastic measures to try and redeem this massive first-round bust

The day and age of N'Keal Harry being an NFL wide receiver is probably over with and done. The former first-round pick out of Arizona State by the New England Patriots is holding on by a thread professionally. Although he seems to be in good spirits and in a good spot now that he is on the Minnesota Vikings, head coach Kevin O'Connell wants him to transition into becoming a tight end.

Harry is supposedly "fired up" about the opportunity. While the Vikings already have a No. 1 tight end on their roster, keep in mind that T.J. Hockenson is working his way back from a major injury suffered last season. Since O'Connell is an offensive-minded head coach, I think there is a strong possibility that this position change could work out quite well for Harry. Getting open was always his bugaboo.

The fact that it will be a transitional year for the Vikings offensively with Kirk Cousins now out of the picture and Sam Darnold keeping the seat warm before it is time for The J.J. McCarthy Show makes me like this unique idea O'Connell has put forth. For as much as I have been down on their general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah over the last few years, I have remained quite bullish on O'Connell.

With nothing left to lose, I am actually on board with this position change of sorts for Harry here.

Necessity is the mother of invention. Thus, Harry will be moving over to tight end out of necessity.

Kevin O'Connell is having N'Keal Harry transition from WR to TE in 2024

I will give Harry a lot of credit here. His NFL career has not panned out as he would have liked for it to out of Arizona State. While his former Sun Devils brother Brandon Aiyuk is thriving with the San Francisco 49ers, Harry is one more season away from being out of the league entirely, if not so already. This position change could be what unlocks all that New England saw out of him coming out.

However, transitions are hard. Change is difficult, and that is even when you embrace it. Harry seems to have the right attitude here, which is good for the Vikings and everyone involved. The big question is if he can be a willing blocker, as well as if he can create any kind of separation when it comes to being defended by linebackers and oversized safeties. If he cannot, then he will be out of the league.

Ultimately, this is what you are hoping for when you hire an offensive-minded head coach. Sure, they are all wizards on the board, in the classroom and on the headset, but are they really great teachers to begin with, ones who want to get the most out of their players? This is something that O'Connell has thought long and hard about. It is not exactly innovative, but you can tell he really loves his players.

Count me in on hoping this works out for Harry, O'Connell and the rest of the Vikings this NFL season.