The talented receiver has been a roller coaster this year
When the Arizona Cardinals selected WR Marvin Harrison, Jr. with the fourth overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft, there were visions of Larry Fitzgerald 2.0 arriving at Tempe, Arizona.
On the offensive side of the ball, the team already had their quarterback in place with Kyler Murray, a stud running back in James Conner, an exceptional pass catching tight end Trey McBride, plus the franchise had spent a high draft pick on improving their offensive line taking OT Paris Johnson in the first round (2023), and had brought in several key rookies in Harrison’s class such as RB Trey Benson, TE Tip Reiman, along with OG Isaiah Adams and OT Christian Jones.
RELATED: AFTER A TOUGH START, HARRISON, JR. DELIVERED
Harrison, Jr. had great size at 6’-3” and a beefy 220 pounds. His father, Marvin Harrison, Sr., is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame and a member of the NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team, voted to eight Pro Bowls, plus is a Super Bowl champion.
Harrison, Jr. had an amazing college career at Ohio State, which is a program known for sending premier pass catchers to the next level. Harrison, Jr. won the Biletnikoff Award given out to the nation’s best receiver. He was a two-time All-Big 10 member and named Unanimous All-American not once, but twice. That is usually reserved for generational players.
Plus, Harrison, Jr. was voted the Big 10 Offensive Player of the Year, Big 10 Receiver of the Year, and the conference’s Most Valuable Player.
How could Arizona miss with a player who had so many accolades along with his ancestral pedigree?
A different level
No matter how great an athlete is coming out of college, the NFL is a totally different animal. It can chew up and spit out some of the greats – and has. Initially. But it doesn’t have to remain that way. Most times, it takes a few seasons to get fully acclimated to the next level, where guys are bigger, stronger, faster, and aren’t fooled easily.
Defensive backs in the NFL have seen it all. They know almost every trick. A deliberate head bob fake at the college level may have gained a receiver notoriety and fame, but in the Big Boy League, they ain’t taking the bait. Plus, NFL cornerbacks are fast. You run a 4.5 and they run a 4.4.
Harrison, Jr. was thrown the ball a lot in his NFL rookie year: 116 targets to be exact. That is a ton of opportunities to gain yardage. But he caught just 62 balls for 885 yards with a 14.3 yards per reception average.
Is Harrison, Jr.’s first year considered a disappointment?
Jerry Rice of the San Francisco 49ers came into the NFL in 1985 and had 98 targets with 49 catches for 927 yards. Then he ripped off 12 of 13 seasons with over 1,000 yards, including 1,570 in his second season. Green Bay Packers great Don Hutson had a mere 18 receptions for 420 yards in his rookie campaign. Harrison, Sr. caught only 64 balls for 836 yards with 118 targets in his first NFL season with the Indianapolis Colts. Seattle Seahawks great Steve Largent had 705 yards on 54 receptions with 95 targets as a rookie receiver.
All of these men were receiving greats. And, they are all in the Hall of Fame.
It takes time for a talented receiver to get going at the next level. Part of the reason is that in college, a blue-chip receiver might face 3-4 cornerbacks all season that have an equal amount of talent. In all of the other contests, each season, the receiver is miles above his defensive counterpart and will dominate him. In the NFL, the starting cornerback is a good player, and the backup is also a very good player.
For example, while at Ohio State, Harrison, Jr. had great games against lesser talent. He had 160 yards against Youngstown State, 163 in the Maryland game, 149 versus Michigan State, 184 yards against Arkansas State, and 135 in the Indiana contest. The cornerbacks in those games aren’t playing football on Sundays, but are now high school coaches, real estate agents, or working in their dad’s tire store.
Therefore, the transition from college to the professional ranks is a significant step, especially for a quarterback, offensive lineman, defensive back, or receiver.
The 2025 season is Harrison, Jr.’s time to show that he has gone through the growing pains of being a rookie athlete in the NFL, and that his game should return to what he showed in college. He has learned the nuances of pro cornerbacks, not to mention complex offensive schemes and a thicker playbook. Harrison, Jr., can take his tools and adjust. He has a vertical jump of 39.0 inches that gives him elite leaping ability, which is always a huge plus for both receiver or a defensive back.
As far as his speed, Harrison, Jr. never timed out in the 40 at the Combine nor his Pro Day, so nobody knows for sure. It has been estimated to be in the high 4.3 to 4.4 range, according to The Ringer. Regardless, his game speed is considered to be exceptional, especially for a receiver with his height and weight.
That means that Harrison, Jr. has all of these pluses, and an assumed gold jacket fitting is in his future. Right?
Then, why is he struggling this year?
Offensive threat?
The Cardinals came into 2025 as one of the dark-horse candidates to surprise everyone. The defense was loaded, special teams were all set with a good kicker, punter, and long snapper, and finally had the weapons on offense.
Currently, the franchise is 2-2-0. They should be 4-0-0.
The offense was predicated on running the ball successfully. Receivers such as Harrison, Jr., Michael Wilson, Zay Jones, and Greg Dortch would complement the offensive scheme, with McBride, one of the best tight ends in the game, adding catches and serving as a force in blocking for the run game.
Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon made it clear that the offense runs at its optimum when Harrison, Jr. is heavily involved.
But this year’s offense hit a snag.
It seems running the ball is an issue. Those huge running yardage games just aren’t coming to fruition. Harrison, Jr. isn’t getting those huge target numbers. The offensive line isn’t giving Murray the time to survey the field. This means the offensive attack is grappling to gain yardage.
In the most recent game against the Seattle Seahawks, Harrison, Jr. only had two catches in the first three quarters with five targets. He had an eight-yard gain on the game’s second play, and then he caught a 16-yard ball in the third quarter with 3:46 remaining. Two of those targets were interceptions. And both are being attributed to Harrison, Jr.
The first occurred in the first quarter with Arizona behind 7-3 and driving. The ball appeared to sail deep, to which SS Cody Bryant made the easy interception. Later, it was stated that Harrison, Jr. was supposed to run his route deeper rather than shallow. He ran the wrong route, and he generally made Murray look bad. Was this correct, or an excuse to malign Murray’s throw?
Then the Cardinals put together a nice 10-play drive that was now at Seattle’s 33-yard line. The ball was snapped, Murray looked at one receiver as his first progression, and then threw a dart to Harrison, Jr., going across the middle from right to left, who had a step on CB Josh Jobe. The pass threaded a needle just past his defender and went right into the receiver’s hands. Harrison, Jr. bobbled the hot pass, then tried to get the ball back and tipped it, which then found the waiting arms of LB Ernest Jones, IV. On the return, Jones had the ball stripped, and Arizona regained possession. But the interception stood.
The point was: two interceptions, and two mistakes by Harrison, Jr.? Now granted, the Seahawks had their best cornerback, Devon Witherspoon, on Harrison, Jr. all game. And Witherspoon’s defensive strategy was to stick to Harrison, Jr. very tightly on every route. And that worked. Murray rarely threw to Harrison, Jr. because, for the majority of the game, he wasn’t open.
Broadcast analyst Kirk Herbstreit commented during the game that he felt like Harrison, Jr. had not lost his abilities, but perhaps it was mental.
However, the fourth quarter was gold for Harrison, Jr. and the Cardinals’ offense as they were able to score two touchdowns in just nine minutes to tie the game.
He hauled in a three-yard pass, then several plays later, he outjumped Witherspoon in the left corner of the end zone for a 16-yard score. The catch was amazing as Harrison, Jr. got to the high point of the throw just as the ball got there. Witherspoon was draped all over Harrison, Jr., and did attempt to get a hand into the fray, but the big receiver had both hands on the rock and cradled it safely as he fell to the turf.
On the Cardinals’ final drive, now down by seven points, Harrison, Jr. caught a short five-yard pass and two plays later hauled in a game-changing 18-yard pickup that placed Arizona at Seattle’s 25-yard line. Everyone in the stadium could feel that the Cards were going to come back and tie the game after Harrison Jr.’s grab. It was suddenly an electric atmosphere.
All it took was two plays, and the game was tied 20-20.
In both drives, Harrison, Jr. had provided an offensive spark, and he caught what was thrown to him. The 18-yard reception required a mindset of getting both feet in bounds as well as securing the ball as he fell backward to the turf.
Perhaps, this might be the tipping point for his career going forward. Even though the team gave the game away, for Harrison, Jr., the end of the contest produced positive results.
First three games
Hopefully, Harrison, Jr. can use his numbers in the final two drives against Seattle to provide some much-needed confidence. Because in the first three games and three quarters of Week 4, he appeared to be a bit unstable and was certainly inconsistent.
Against the 49ers in Week 3, he dropped a sure touchdown in the third quarter. Down by a score of 6-3, Murray was in the pocket, which was closing rapidly. He spotted Harrison, Jr., all alone, and then heaved the ball just as he was about to get hit. Harrison, Jr. retracted about five yards to the 50-yard line, with the closest man seven yards away. He had both hands open with his fingers upwards, and at the last moment, flipped his hands to catch it underhanded, and then the pass went right through and hit the ground.
The closest man was linebacker Fred Warner. With Harrison, Jr.’s speed, it would have been a race to the end zone that Warner could not keep up with. The Cardinals would end up losing by one point, so the dropped pass proved pivotal.
He only had three catches all game for 44 yards. What superstar has those minimalistic numbers? Fans and the media were beginning to agree that something was up – or wrong – with Harrison, Jr. Was it being unprepared? Does he have the yips? Maybe change something, like not playing with gloves on? Was OC Drew Petzing not utilizing his talent better?
Currently, Harrison, Jr. is tied with four other receivers for the league’s second-most drops with three.
Whatever the issues, fans of other teams have taken note, and of course, are making fun of Harrison, Jr. – not to mention the Cardinals for selecting him so high in the draft. Many of his drops are just embarrassing to the franchise. His game checks are not cheap, and fans began to wonder out loud: this is what we are paying him for?
This was new for Arizona fans. The team never had to go through any of this with Fitz. No, sir.
Rewind to the Carolina Panthers game in Week 2. Harrison, Jr.’s output ended up with hardly any stats: Two receptions, 27 yards, five targets. That was it. He did draw a 31-yard pass interference call, but getting good field position on penalties is not part of any coach’s game plan or scheme.
Harrison, Jr. needs his touches for the Cardinals to be effective overall as an offense. Yet in this game, he was more or less an afterthought instead of a game-changer.
With the issues the offensive line is giving this attack, Murray is having a difficult time being able to wait for his receivers to get open. And if Murray looks Harrison, Jr.’s way early, he is not always open at the beginning stages of his routes.
While we are at it, let’s see what happened in the opening game of the season against the New Orleans Saints. Harrison, Jr. had just six targets, but was able to catch five balls, including the one-yard TD pass in the second quarter. He led all Arizona receivers with his 71 yards and was involved in the game plan quite a bit. His highlight was a 45-yard catch that set up one of the Cardinals’ two scores.
Late in the game, he made a crucial third-down catch to help run out the clock. This game solidified that Harrison, Jr. had a good bond with Murray and could complete a full game with a strong performance.
Going forward
In the last half of the final quarter of the Seahawks game, Harrison, Jr. was getting open and making plays. Making big plays. He was running good routes, and despite being tailed by Seattle’s best defensive back, he began to get open. Not by much, but he was finally starting to best a very good corner.
This was the first time all season that Harrison, Jr. has looked like a prized receiver.
Is this the turning point for Harrison, Jr.? Jerry Rice didn’t get it until the middle of his second season. Most of the great ones struggled early on as well until they realized that their abilities were indeed ready to compete at an elite level, and shine.
Of course, Rice had Joe Montana and Hutson shagged passes from Bart Starr while Harrison, Sr. caught balls from that Manning kid.
The end of the Seahawks game proved that Harrison, Jr. does indeed have the tools to become a force, and perhaps now he can emerge each week with good numbers to demonstrate that he is destined to be at the top of the leaderboard.
Let’s start with catching the football with the targets he is getting now.
Not later. This year. Starting now.
Category: General Sports
