Marvin Harrison Jr. is the top non-quarterback prospect entering the 2024 NFL Draft. The former Ohio State standout dominated as a playmaker during his final year with the Buckeyes, showing off his elite talent at the position and his ability as a game changer on the big stage.
Ranking as the No. 1 playmaker in a deep and talented wide receiver class, Harrison Jr. decided to skip the 2024 NFL Combine that may have added more intrigue surrounding the son of Hall of Famer Marvin Harrison Sr. Still, with a projected 40-time in the high 4.3’s along with his exceptional route running ability, Harrison Jr. is high on the list of a few teams at the tip of the 2024 NFL Draft.
Marvin Harrison Jr. is a generational talent many NFL teams can't pass up
With other top wide receiver talent like Rome Odunze and Malik Nabers headlining attention, the 6-foot-3, 205-pound receiver stands apart because he is a difference maker on the field that can make a quarterback better. In marveling about what Harrison Jr. brings to the field, ESPN NFL Draft expert Mel Kiper Jr.’s hype of the Ohio State star goes beyond physical attributes.
“Marvin Harrison Jr., you love the size, the physicality, contested catches, the consistency as well,” Kiper said. “But I think the skillset he brings to the table and the mindset. Keep in mind, his dad is obviously a Hall of Famer. Brought that businesslike approach. Marvin Harrison Jr. is all about football and he’s gonna make everybody in that locker room and practice field focus on one thing, which is winning football. So his value goes beyond what he does on the football field as a player. His attitude, his approach is top-notch.”
So, in examining the best NFL fits for Harrison Jr. in the NFL Draft, we look at teams who may be either a playmaker a way from making noise in the NFL or in need of a No. 1 receiver.
New England Patriots: Is selecting Marvin Harrison Jr. at No. 3 the team's safest bet?
As a team in desperate need of a quarterback, the Patriots are destined to take a quarterback with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, but there is a path where they could select Harrison Jr. and target a quarterback later in the draft.
The Patriots are likely to part ways with Mac Jones, but their reported interest in a veteran quarterback like Baker Mayfield in NFL free agency signals a team exploring all avenues in revamping their offense post-Bill Belichick.
In drafting a generational wide receiver like MHJ, the Patriots will finally have that top outside threat they have been yearning for since the days of Randy Moss. Furthermore, they just need a playmaker opposing defenses will have to gameplan for, a player who makes the quarterback better.
Harrison Jr. would also add to the culture the Patriots are trying to rebuild within the organization. As a high-character guy with high talent on the field, the Ohio State product would be a safe choice at No. 3, especially if the team does not see Jayden Daniels or Drake Maye as the answer that high up in the draft.
In other words, a team with many needs can just draft a quarterback to draft a quarterback. As Patriots fans have found out the last few seasons, surrounding the quarterback position with offensive talent around him is just as important.
Arizona Cardinals: Can team pass up on the next Larry Fitzgerald type playmaker?
If everything plays out as projected in the 2024 NFL Draft, the Cardinals will be Harrison Jr’s most likely landing spot. Although he didn’t speak to reporters at the NFL combine, he did meet with the team.
Appearing on Arizona Sports’ Wolf & Luke on Friday, Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon described the interview with Harrison Jr. as a good interview.
“It was good, he was on it,” Gannon said. “All the questions that were asked by everybody in there, he had really good answers. Very thought out, very mature. It was a really good interview.”
Gannon went on to describe him as a tall, big guy with “some length to him,” which should remind Cardinals fans of the great Larry Fitzgerald who had similar size and was a big-time playmaker for years in Arizona.
It is that stature and majority that compares MHJ to Fitzgerald which is why it would be hard to imagine the Cardinals passing him by at No. 4, especially since they have committed to sticking with Kyler Murray at quarterback. Give him another playmaking talent and the Cardinals will be a team to watch in 2024.
Los Angeles Chargers: Marvin Harrison Jr. is a no-brainer if he slips past No. 4
How ironic would it be if former Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh made an Ohio State player his first draft pick as the new head honcho of the Los Angeles Chargers?
Unlike the Patriots, the Bolts have the quarterback and already have talent on the field, so drafting Harrison Jr. if he slips down a little or even trading up a spot or two to get him would be more luxury vs need for a Chargers team that underachieved a bit in 2023.
Speaking of underachieved, the team did select a wide receiver in the first round of the 2023 NFL season in Quentin Johnston. The idea was to give Herbert another target while also adding a No. 2 option and eventual replacement for Keenan Allen at wide receiver. While Johnston still has time to prove he is not a bust, if Harbaugh and the Chargers have a shot at Harrison Jr., they should go for it and probably will.
In all the Chargers will have some work to do defensively, but offensively they could have a big-time QB-WR connection in Hebert to Harrison Jr. Talk about striking big offensively if you are a Bolts fan.