Marvin Harrison Jr.

Cardinals Not Committed To Trading Out Of No. 4; Team Eyeing Marvin Harrison Jr.?

April 17th, 2024 at 2:01pm CST by Sam Robinson

Viewed by many as the gateway for the Giants or Vikings (or Broncos or Raiders) to trade up for a quarterback, the Cardinals’ No. 4 draft slot could certainly bring back a nice haul for a rebuilding team.

This Cardinals regime did opt to move down last year, but rookie GM Monti Ossenfort decided to come back up to draft Paris Johnson Jr. at No. 6. Arizona has intriguing options coming into the draft, as offers should be expected to come in for its first-round pick. But the team is not committed to moving down, per SI.com’s Albert Breer.

Staffers around the league are not convinced this is an automatic trade-down team, with Breer then pointing to Marvin Harrison Jr. as a player who would be a “wheelhouse pick” for a Cardinals team that needs to upgrade at wide receiver. Amid an unusually structured pre-draft program, Harrison visited the Cardinals recently. Of course, these rumblings could also be a call for other teams to up the ante in trade proposals. But Arizona obviously needs WR help.

Having cut DeAndre Hopkins last year and having seen Marquise Brown join the Chiefs in free agency — after the 2022 trade acquisition discussed an extension last year — the Cardinals are in dire need of weaponry for Kyler Murray. Viewed by many as the draft’s best non-quarterback, Harrison would qualify as the team’s biggest receiver investment since the 2004 draft brought Larry Fitzgerald to the desert at No. 3 overall. Trading Rondale Moore for Desmond Ridder, the Cardinals have 2023 third-rounder Michael Wilson, Zach Pascal, Chris Moore and ERFA Greg Dortch as their top receivers. It is within reason the team will want to add more than one player here during the draft.

Harrison made the rare move of not participating at the Combine or Ohio State’s pro day, communicating to teams a plan to train for an NFL offseason rather than pre-draft workouts. Teams are believed to have been fine with the second-generation wide receiver standout’s plan — one that illustrates how well-regarded his college tape is — and Breer adds Buckeyes coaches are believed to have clocked the 6-foot-3, 209-pound player in 4.35 seconds in the 40-yard dash.

The top-tier WR prospect would check off a key box for the Cardinals, who had been linked to Johnson before last year’s draft. Arizona collected a 2023 second-rounder and 2024 first- and third-round picks from Houston in moving from 3 to 12 last year. It cost the Cards their own 2023 second-rounder and a 2023 fifth to move back up to 6 for Johnson. But Arizona later moved down in Round 2 to pick up more draft capital, giving Tennessee Will Levis.

Due to the deals with the AFC South clubs, the Cardinals go into this draft with two first-round picks, a second and three thirds. If the Cardinals are willing to move out of No. 4 and then trade back up (perhaps with the Chargers at 5), Ossenfort could forge a near-identical trade route and still end up with Harrison.

That best-of-both-worlds scenario would stand to appeal to a Cardinals team still squarely in rebuild mode. If the team takes an offer from the Giants or Vikings (or someone else) and does not opt to move back up, it would risk — barring a drop to New York’s No. 6 slot — missing out on the Harrison-Rome Odunze–Malik Nabers WR tier (the Washington and LSU prospects also visited). But this is viewed as another deep receiver draft, putting the Cardinals in a good spot no matter how they proceed.

Bears Set To Host Top WRs, DE On Monday

April 7th, 2024 at 10:04pm CST by Ely Allen

We already heard today that the Bears are bringing in LSU wide receiver Malik Nabers for a “top 30” visit this Wednesday. Now, Kevin Fishbain of The Athletic informs us that Chicago plans to host Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. and Texas speedster Xavier Worthy, as well. Both wideouts are set to be at Halas Hall tomorrow and will be joined by UCLA edge rusher Laiatu Latu.

The Bears’ most pressing concern for the 2024 NFL Draft is obviously at quarterback. With only Tyson Bagent and Brett Rypien on the roster at the position, it has become a foregone conclusion that the Bears will use the first of their two top-ten picks (and the first overall selection of the draft) on USC passer Caleb Williams. This week’s visitors, though, provide a bit of insight into what the team is planning to do with their second pick of the draft, the ninth pick.

Nabers makes sense as a target if the team intends to sit pat and select in the ninth position after drafting Williams. There’s a chance he may not make it that far, but with a run of quarterbacks expected in the first four picks and teams in the next four picks having needs that aren’t wide receiver, it’s not insane to believe that Nabers may drop to ninth overall. Harrison, on the other hand, will not be around that long. As the top wide receiver available in this year’s draft, according to nearly every ranking, Harrison likely won’t be available after the fifth or sixth pick. If Chicago is seriously considering adding Harrison to the team, they will need to trade up to get him.

Targeting Worthy and Latu provides the alternate opportunity to the Bears. Both players are seen as mid- to late-first-round picks, so it could actually really benefit the team to trade back, as Chicago may have two top-ten picks, but their next selection after that doesn’t come until the 11th pick of the third round. Adding a top receiver or edge rusher with a second first-round pick while bringing in a bit more draft capital by trading back could be a perfect storm for the Bears.

It’s clear that adding a third wide receiver is a priority in Chicago, though. With top returning receiver D.J. Moore now paired up with Keenan Allen, a third top wideout could give the Bears their best receiving corps in a very long time. Both Nabers and Worthy would provide a level of speed to the passing attack that could easily take the top off any defense already covering Moore and Allen. Harrison hasn’t been officially timed, but there are few (if any) facets of his game that are a demerit on his draft stock. Latu, on the other hand, with 23.5 sacks in his final two collegiate seasons, could pair nicely opposite Montez Sweat in their efforts to meet at the quarterback.

Trading up for Harrison would be difficult but could be worth it to bring in a potentially generational talent at receiver. Staying pat won’t cost them any more than they’ve already given, and adding Nabers would be a great compliment to their current corps. And trading back while still being able to add a day one contributor like Worthy or Latu could work wonders for their pick totals. Regardless, it’s clear that the Bears are making an effort to bring in even more weapons for their presumed 2024 starter under center, Williams.

Cardinals Hosting WR Marvin Harrison Jr.

April 5th, 2024 at 2:19pm CST by Sam Robinson

Closely linked to a trade-down maneuver, the Cardinals have now scheduled visits with all three of this draft class’ top wide receivers. After their “30” visit with Malik Nabers, the Cards have Marvin Harrison Jr. in town Friday, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets.

A Rome Odunze meeting is also on Arizona’s docket. The Cardinals have a chance to acquire considerable future draft capital by trading down from No. 4 overall, but unless they slide down just a few picks (perhaps with the Giants, who sit at No. 6), they will forfeit their access to the Harrison-Nabers-Odunze tier by trading down. This raises the stakes for the receiver-needy team.

Harrison presents an interesting profile. The Ohio State product delivered tremendous on-field production, coming out of a program that has regularly churned out high-level receiver talent in recent years. Harrison also has bucked tradition by not working out for teams during the pre-draft period. After passing on work at the Combine, Harrison also did not perform any drills or run a 40-yard dash at the Buckeyes’ pro day last month. This is highly unusual, but teams are believed to have given the top-flight prospect indications they did not need to see him go through drills during the run-up to the draft.

Rather than training for pre-draft workouts, the second-generation wide receiver talent is taking the atypical step of preparing for an NFL offseason program. With Nabers blazing to a 4.35-second 40 time after moving onto the Harrison tier as a prospect by helping Jayden Daniels to the Heisman, it will be interesting to see if Harrison’s strategy backfires. Though, even if Nabers is the first receiver chosen, Harrison will not need to wait long before he strolls across the draft stage.

While some teams are believed to prefer Nabers, Harrison impressed the Cardinals during his Combine interview. Harrison’s game tape also leaves little doubt about his draft status. Harrison eclipsed 1,200 yards in each of his final two college seasons and caught 14 touchdown passes in both years. Mel Kiper Jr.’s ESPN.com big board places Harrison as this class’ No. 3 overall prospect (and top wideout), while Daniel Jeremiah’s NFL.com offering has Harrison as No. 2 overall prospect. At 6-foot-3 and 209 pounds, the younger Harrison is much bigger than his Hall of Fame father was during his career.

With quarterbacks widely expected to be chosen in the top three, the Cardinals have a clear opportunity to land this class’ top receiver. The team, which lost Marquise Brown last month, has a glaring need at the position. This draft class houses another deep receiver crop, however, which could convince the Cardinals to trade back — as they did in last year’s first round — to bolster their rebuild.

The Cardinals also hold the No. 27 overall pick, by virtue of their trade-down with the Texans. If the Vikings (No. 11), Broncos (No. 12) or Raiders (No. 13) are to climb up, the Cards could pick up two future firsts. It will be interesting to see if those kind of offers emerge, as that would stand to force the team to consider passing on the Harrison-Nabers-Odunze tier of WR.

Giants Meet With Drake Maye, J.J. McCarthy; Team Conducts Three WR Visits

March 20th, 2024 at 10:20pm CST by Sam Robinson

Facing a pivotal decision with their latest top-10 draft choice, the Giants are beginning the next phase of their intelligence-gathering process. It is that time of year; “30” visits are underway. And the Giants have two clear paths they could take.

The big-picture approach points to the team staying in the mix to trade up for a quarterback. On that note, the team began its face-to-face meetings last week. Drake Maye and J.J. McCarthy visited the Giants, according to SI.com’s Albert Breer.

While it would bring a borderline-radical about-face for the Giants to move up for a passer a year after giving Daniel Jones a four-year, $160MM extension, the contract’s structure and the team’s managerial setup point to the scenario being live. The Giants can escape the Jones contract with barely $10MM in dead money — in the event of a post-June 1 release — next year, and while this regime paid Jones, it did not draft him. Rumblings about the Giants being interested in a passer have persisted this offseason, with McCarthy emerging as a potential target.

Yes, we are entering prime smokescreen season, but McCarthy’s stock has undeniably climbed since his low-octane but hyper-efficient Michigan season wrapped. The Vikings have been linked to the Michigan product, with Daniel Jeremiah’s latest NFL.com mock draft sending Minnesota to No. 4 for McCarthy, which would be that franchise’s first top-10 quarterback pick ever. The Giants, who have been around considerably longer, have made five such investments. In the common draft era (1967-present), New York has chosen three QBs in the top 10 — Phil Simms, Eli Manning, Jones — and faces a more action-packed market thanks to Minnesota’s recent trade with Houston.

Even prior to the Vikings acquiring a second first-round pick from the Texans, Jeremiah mentioned a “strong” expectation within the NFL points to four QBs going off the board in the top six. Seeing as the Giants hold the No. 6 pick, that rumor would stand to tie closely to the team’s interest in grabbing a Jones successor with this draft real estate. While GM Joe Schoen attended Caleb Williams‘ USC pro day Wednesday, the Bears are widely expected to begin the draft with the 2022 Heisman winner.

Maye has held his spot as a passer likely to land in the top three, with Jeremiah mocking Sam Howell‘s North Carolina successor to Washington at No. 2. More buzz has connected the Commanders to Jayden Daniels, with Mel Kiper Jr.’s latest ESPN mock keeping Maye on track for New England. The Patriots may have some internal doubts about the ex-Tar Heels starter, inviting intrigue about another team moving up in the event Daniels does go second overall. The Giants would stand to be one of the teams monitoring the Pats’ decision, as the Commanders will be unlikely to trade their No. 2 pick to a division rival when a QB investment is involved.

McCarthy has rocketed up into a likely top-10 investment, participating in the Combine while the draft’s top three passing prospects did not. While the recent national championship-winning QB would be a surprise top-six pick — based on where his stock appeared to be at season’s end — the likes of Carson Wentz, Baker Mayfield and Zach Wilson have brought late QB climbs near the top of the board in recent years. The Giants are certainly investigating Jim Harbaugh‘s final Wolverines starter.

If the dominoes do not fall the Giants’ way regarding a Jones successor, the team is doing work on that end as well. The team brought in Marvin Harrison Jr., Malik Nabers and Rome Odunze for visits earlier this month, The Athletic’s Dan Duggan tweets.

Harrison has generated attention for his pre-draft plan — one not consisting of workouts at the Combine or his pro day, which was held today — but the Ohio State prospect is widely viewed as the best receiver available. Jeremiah and Kiper’s big boards list Harrison as the No. 2 overall prospect, but the former adds it is likely some teams will have Nabers positioned above the second-generation WR talent on draft boards. The Athletic’s Dane Brugler adds Nabers is viewed by some clubs as the draft’s top wideout.

Harrison, Nabers (LSU) and Odunze (Washington) are each mortal locks to be chosen early in the first round. Nabers posted a 1,000-yard season in 2022 but unlocked another level to his game last season, totaling 89 receptions for 1,569 yards and 14 touchdowns to help Daniels win the Heisman. Nabers’ speed has generated intrigue among teams, though the three-year LSU receiver did not run the 40-yard dash at the Combine.

The QB interest would benefit the Giants on the wideout front, as two of these players could be on the board if a trade-up into the top five occurs. The Giants used a third-round pick on Jalin Hyatt last year and have Darius Slayton and Wan’Dale Robinson under contract. But the team has struggled at this position for years, lacking a WR1-level talent since injuries started to impact Odell Beckham Jr. The Giants will have a chance at one of these impact receivers soon, but the QB matter will likely loom until draft night.

Marvin Harrison Jr. Will Not Work Out At Ohio State Pro Day

March 20th, 2024 at 9:06am CST by Sam Robinson

Being viewed as this draft’s top receiving prospect, Marvin Harrison Jr. is widely expected to go off the board in the top 10. The Cardinals have been continually connected to the Ohio State wideout at No. 4. Arizona and other teams will not have pre-draft workout results to use when assessing Harrison’s stock.

After not working out at the Combine, Harrison is also skipping his pro day. The former Buckeyes star informed teams he will not take part in workouts in front of scouts, SI.com’s Albert Breer tweets. While it is rather unusual for a healthy player to not work out at a pro day, Harrison does not have much to gain by doing so.

The Cardinals were impressed by Harrison at the Combine, ESPN.com’s Josh Weinfuss notes, indicating multiple personnel sources did not believe the second-generation wide receiver would be impacted by not working at the annual Indianapolis-based showcase event. It is a slightly different matter for a player to then pass on participating at his pro day, but Breer adds Harrison asked the nine teams he met with at the Combine if they needed to see anything from him at the Ohio State pro day. The group responded in the negative.

Harrison’s pre-draft training has veered in this direction for a bit, with it being known the standout prospect has not prepped for drills or the 40-yard dash. Instead, the latest Ohio State-developed receiver prospect is readying for an NFL offseason program. Most prospects will not be able to pull off such an effort, but Harrison has secured high enough marks teams will only be able to judge his game tape.

Harrison eclipsed 1,200 yards in each of his final two college seasons and caught 14 touchdown passes in both years. While the 2024 class features another deep receiver crop, Harrison leads the way. Mel Kiper Jr.’s latest ESPN mock draft sends Harrison to the Cardinals at No. 4, while Daniel Jeremiah’s NFL.com offering has the Jets trading up for him at No. 5.

With Harrison not working out today in Columbus (and would-be early-round prospects Emeka Egbuka and TreVeyon Henderson staying in school), Breer adds no GMs or head coaches are slated to be in attendance today. If Harrison’s strategy results in his top-five status being unchanged come draft day, this off-grid route during a pre-draft process could be relevant for future high-end prospects. If Harrison ends up not becoming the draft’s first receiver taken, then this strategy will be second-guessed.

NFL Draft Notes: Harrison, LSU, Texas, DeJean, Bowers

March 2nd, 2024 at 4:06pm CST by Ely Allen

We truly are starting to see a new era of pre-draft football in the NFL. On a day in which we saw every quarterback in the first group of passers except for Notre Dame’s Sam Hartman opt out of running the 40-yard dash, we continue to report on prospects who are seeing the NFL’s scouting combine as less and less of a priority.

According to Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated, star Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. will not be participating in any of the testing at the combine. It doesn’t stop there, though, as Harrison has made the decision to not even train for those types of drills in the runup to the draft. Harrison will continue to work on pure football drills, allowing his tape to do the talking.

Players like Harrison have the luxury of this approach. For the last two years, Harrison has widely been considered the top wide receiver prospect in this year’s crop. He only solidified that status with a second straight stellar season with the Buckeyes. He has a fairly good idea of where he’s going to fall in the draft, so he doesn’t feel the need to display his full set of abilities in an attempt to up his draft stock. Instead, he will focus on team interviews and preparing for the more practical aspects of NFL readiness. Breer also informs us that Harrison will head to the league without an agent, joining another recent trend.

The combine and pro days remain a crucial part of the pre-draft process for many of the mid- to late-round prospects, but for top players, workouts like these are beginning to become more and more superfluous.

Here are a few other draft rumors as the combine continues:

On the topic of non-participants, LSU Heisman-winning quarterback Jayden Daniels and his wide receiver Malik Nabers have both opted out of their workouts in Indianapolis, choosing to work out at their pro day, instead. Today we found out that both players are also skipping the measurements portion of the combine, as well, per ESPN’s Field Yates. The two Tigers will submit to measurements at their pro day before workouts.
One name that’s been climbing draft boards of late is Texas defensive tackle Byron Murphy. Murphy’s versatility across the line has scouts excited and makes him a fit for pretty much every squad. Reflecting this, Murphy reportedly had 25 official interviews set up at the combine, according to Tony Pauline of Sportskeeda. Pauline also reports that the Raiders, Colts, Seahawks, and Vikings have all scheduled to bring him in for an official-30 visit. The list of suitors for the Longhorn defender likely won’t stop there.
Another top Texas prospect, running back Jonathon Brooks continues to make his way back from ACL surgery that ended his final season in Austin. The top rusher on both ESPN’s Mel Kiper’s and Dane Brugler of The Athletic’s boards, Brooks is reportedly “healing well and as expected,” per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. While he obviously won’t be participating in any pre-draft workouts, he’s expected to be cleared for training camp.
Iowa cornerback Cooper DeJean‘s leg injury continues to hold him out of football activities in the leadup to the draft. After already learning that he wouldn’t be available to workout at the combine, Greg Auman of FOX Sports informs us that DeJean will also not participate in physical activities at Iowa’s pro day. DeJean claims to be fully cleared from the fracture in his lower leg and that he will work out at some point before the draft, but it looks like scouts will have to make personal trips out to Iowa City in order to workout DeJean.
Finally, one more top draft prospect made the decision not to workout at the combine this year. Georgia tight end Brock Bowers, the top prospect at his position per both Kiper and Brugler and a likely top-10 pick, will not work out in Indianapolis. Scouts interested in seeing this Bulldog in action will have to make their way out to Georgia’s pro day.

WR Marvin Harrison Jr. Declares For Draft

January 11th, 2024 at 12:26pm CST by Sam Robinson

Viewed as a mortal lock to be one of the first players selected in the 2024 draft, Marvin Harrison Jr. has made his entry official. After skipping Ohio State’s bowl game, the draft’s top wide receiver prospect announced Thursday he will be part of this year’s prospect pool.

The son of Colts legend Marvin Harrison, the ex-Buckeyes superstar will undoubtedly be chosen before his father, who went 19th overall in the 1996 draft. Although this draft class is expected to produce another deep haul of receivers, Harrison has long resided as the top draft-eligible wideout.

Ohio State has become a wide receiver factory in recent years. The Big Ten power has produced the likes of Michael Thomas, Terry McLaurin, Garrett Wilson, Chris Olave and Jaxon Smith-Njigba. The latter trio all went in the first round between the 2022 and 2023 drafts. Harrison should be expected to be chosen earlier than all his former receiver teammates.

Playing behind Wilson, Olave and Smith-Njigba as a freshman in 2021, Harrison became the Buckeyes’ top weapon as a sophomore. Smith-Njigba’s nagging hamstring injury thrust Harrison and fellow draft-eligible performer Emeka Egbuka to the forefront. Both delivered, with Harrison separating himself as a prospect quickly. Harrison eclipsed 1,200 yards in each of his final two college seasons and caught 14 touchdown passes in both years.

The Philadelphia native came to Columbus as a four-star prospect. His father, a Syracuse product, was part of a loaded 1996 receiver draft that featured Terrell Owens, Terry Glenn, Keyshawn Johnson, Amani Toomer, Eric Moulds, Muhsin Muhammad and others. The Colts icon was the fourth receiver drafted that year. It would be shocking if his son was not the first 28 years later. At 6-foot-4, the younger Harrison stands four inches taller than his father, who sailed to the Hall of Fame as Peyton Manning‘s go-to target.

Mel Kiper Jr.’s ESPN.com big board lists the younger Harrison second only to likely No. 1 pick Caleb Williams. Although prospects like Drake Maye and Jayden Daniels may be candidates to be chosen ahead of Harrison due to the quarterback importance, a top-five landing spot appears likely.

WR Notes: Harrison, Parker, Wideman

July 4th, 2023 at 7:33pm CST by Adam La Rose

Plenty of time remains until the 2024 NFL draft will become an area of serious concern around the league, but a few figures can comfortably be considered first-round locks. One of those is Ohio State receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., who is in line for a repeat of his hugely productive 2022 season this fall.

The son of Colts Hall of Famer Marvin Harrison, the 6-3, 202-pounder lit up the statsheet last campaign. Harrison recorded 77 catches for 1,263 yards and 14 touchdowns, and he is expected to follow that up in 2023 after the departure of Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Other pass-catchers will be worth watching for the Buckeyes (including Emeka Egbuka), but Harrison will enter the season as the top-ranked wideout in the ’24 draft class.

In fact, he could find himself in contention for the No. 1 overall spot, according to at least one NFL general manager. The unnamed exec said, via ESPN’s Matt Miller, “We haven’t had a wide receiver drafted first overall since Keyshawn [Johnson], but Harrison could push that – even in a draft with Caleb Williams.”

The presence of not only Williams but also a group of signal-callers including UNC’s Drake Maye in this class would make it surprising for Harrison to hear his name called first at this point. His substantial potential will nevertheless make him a name to watch as the season takes shape.

Here are some other receiver-related notes:

The Patriots recently retained DeVante Parker on a three-year extension worth up to $33MM. $14MM in guarantees is reportedly included in the deal, but its base value this year ($1.22MM) and next ($3.3MM) leaves most of his compensation set to be earned via incentives, as detailed (on Twitter) by Henry McKenna of Fox Sports and corroborated by ESPN’s Mike Reiss. The pact’s incentives are tied to playing time, reception and yardage totals and All-Pro honors, which comes as little surprise given the modest statline Parker put up (31-539-3) in his debut Patriots campaign. Reiss notes that more than half of the value of the contract will be tied to incentives, making the former Dolphins’ performance a key storyline to follow moving forward.
The NFL will conduct a supplemental draft for the first time since 2019, and a pair of receivers are known to have been granted eligibility for selection. One of them – Malachi Wideman – will audition himself to teams during a Pro Day this Saturday (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of KRPC2). Wideman had a productive stint with Jackson State, which, coupled with an impressive showing on the weekend, could put him on the radar of being selected. The supplemental draft will take place on July 11, and teams will have the opportunity to acquire Wideman, Milton Wright and any other eligible players at the expense of 2024 entry draft capital.