The NFL Draft will begin on April 25, 2024. We take a look at Marvin Harrison Jr., an absolute stud of a wide receiver who is also the son of an NFL legend and Hall of Famer with the same name.
Make sure to check out all of our other NFL Draft scouting reports.
Marvin Harrison Jr. is the kind of player that is hard to take your eyes off of. While studying film on Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave, Harrison kept catching my eye as a freshman. Two years later, Harrison has firmly cemented his status as a generational playmaker on offense.
A four-star recruit out of high school, Harrison proceeded to have an extremely illustrious career at Ohio State. He was not only a unanimous All-American but won the Biletnikoff Award honoring college football’s top wide receiver. He’s also the first-ever receiver to post back-to-back 1000-yard seasons in Ohio State history. Harrison will forego his senior season and still end up among the top five in yards, receptions, and touchdowns in Ohio State history.
Marvin Harrison Jr., WR, Ohio State University
Name: Marvin Harrison Jr.
Jersey: No. 18
Position: Wide Receiver
School: Ohio State
Class: Junior
Height: 6-foot-3
Weight: 202 lbs.
Strengths
Blessed with top-notch pedigree, athleticism, size, and speed, Harrison is unique. Top that off with smooth moves, soft hands, and a propensity for running routes and you’re talking about limitless potential. He understands get-off, body positioning, and high-pointing the ball. He can run by you, catch it over you, or put a move on to evade you. Harrison is the best wide receiver prospect I’ve ever scouted, slightly edging out Odell Beckham Jr., and I’d be shocked if he wasn’t a Pro Bowler by next season.
Harrison, like most modern studs, lines up at all three wide receiver positions. While he isn’t as slippery as someone like Wilson, his former teammate, he is more than capable after the catch. Harrison’s rare combination of elite athletic traits and polish make him both exceptionally prepared for the NFL game, as well as likely to improve. His knowledge of the route tree and ability to read coverages lets him exploit soft areas in teams’ coverages. He’s also sure-handed and has no problem running over the middle of the field, which makes him especially useful in the red zone.
Weaknesses
Harrison’s biggest flaw is his ability to block. Rarely asked to block at Ohio State, he did not have proper technique or utilize leverage effectively. While most teams do not expect their top offensive weapon to be heavily involved in the blocking game, this is an area upon which Harrison could improve.
All in all, like any NFL player, Harrison must continue to put in the work if he truly wants to become elite. Studying film, adding muscle, and improving his already impressive route running and hands will eventually propel him to a top spot at his position.
Pro Comparison: Chad Johnson
Harrison is a lot like most wide receivers who’ve been drafted very high over the last 30 years, including Ja’Marr Chase, Julio Jones, A.J. Green, and even Larry Fitzgerald. These are receivers with a dominant streak who were consistently awesome and able to do anything at the receiver position.
Nevertheless, something about Harrison’s play style reminds me of Johnson. His ability to both utilize talents and simultaneously outsmart defenders made Johnson special and I see a lot of that in Harrison. Johnson was one of the few receivers in the early 2000s who had a knack for completely taking over games; he went on to six Pro Bowls and multiple All-Pro seasons. I envision a similar outcome for Marvin Harrison Jr.
Draft Projection: Top-10 Pick
Harrison may very well be the best player in this draft class and is undoubtedly within the top three. With that being said, given the teams projected to pick early and a robust quarterback class, Harrison could even fall out of the top five. While it is hard to compare quarterbacks to any other position given their massive impact on a team, the past few seasons have shown how a real stud wide receiver can completely take games over.
Therefore, someone like Harrison, who is a better prospect than former teammates Wilson and Olave, is well worth a top-five selection. While I don’t see any of the quarterback-needy teams passing on signal-callers, whichever team lands Harrison will have an immediate impact player who will eventually join the elite class of Justin Jefferson, Tyreek Hill, and others in short order.
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