Strong minicamp has new Patriots WR Maurice Harris nicely positioned in race for roster spot

FOXBOROUGH — The biggest test for a new Patriots’ receiver? Winning the trust of Tom Brady.

In the short-term, it looks like newcomer Maurice Harris took a sizable step in the right direction during Wednesday’s minicamp session when he spent a lot of time running with what appeared to be a reasonable-looking facsimile of the first-team offense, working both in the slot and on the boundary. He showed a nice set of hands, especially over the middle in 11-on-11 work with Brady at quarterback -- at one point, Brady had three consecutive completions to the 26-year-old Harris, drawing a series of cheers from the rest of the offense.


Harris was an under-the-radar addition in March, but a deeper dive on his resume reveals a steady performer who has shown a nice knack for holding on to anything that’s in his area. While he hasn’t had a ton of work in his three years in the NFL — 40 catches for 432 yards and a touchdown in three years with Washington — when he gets his hands on a ball, he holds on to it. ProFootballFocus.com had him with just one drop in three seasons.

That has shown up the first two days of minicamp. While we’ll hold off on any sort of sweeping judgments about Harris at this point on the calendar — it’s easy to go over the middle for passes when guys are in shorts and T-shirts — without Josh Gordon and Demaryius Thomas on the field, Harris has distinguished himself by making the most of the opportunities that have been presented to him at this point on the calendar.

“It’s good. I think it’s good to get the experience,” he said when asked about the chance to run with the starting offense. “The best thing? It’s just being out there and getting to go through it and kind of get those game situations, just to get the feel for it. Obviously, I have a lot of learning to do and improving, but it feels good to be out there and getting the reps.”