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In 2024, Marvin Harrison Jr. had one of the more highly debated seasons of any rookie wide receiver in recent memory.
To some, Harrison Jr. showed flashes of what talent evaluators expected coming out of Ohio State, taking over games with his size, speed, and technique on the way to a respectable 885 yards plus eight touchdowns campaign.
And to others? Well, he wasn’t even the second-best wide receiver in his own draft class, with Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas Jr. both showing more flashes of being future No. 1 wide receivers than the hot-and-cold Cardinals pass-catcher.
What gives? How did the Cardinals mess up a can’t-miss prospect’s rookie season? Well, while that is debatable, ESPN’s Field Yates believes that has to change in a major way, as he explained on NFL Live.
“They’re going to continue to focus on the scripted stuff for Kyler, though. Let’s get a few more things scripted for Marvin Harrison Jr. Think back to last year, fourth overall pick, and teams like the Minnesota Vikings and New York Giants might have been interested in coming on up to that fourth overall pick. The Cardinals said, ‘Nah, we’re taking this player because he’s that good,'” Yates explained.
“He fills that big of a need for us. Look at the top 10 wide receivers in the 2024 NFL draft. See the guy right after Marvin Harrison Jr.? He had nine games with seven or more catches last season. That was tied for the most of the NFL with Jamar Chase, something about that LSU water that RC knows all about. Marvin Harrison Jr. is too talented for you to not make him the focal point of your passing game. I know Trey McBride is the highest-paid tight end, or excuse me now, second behind George Kittle.”
On paper, the Cardinals are bringing back a lot of the same pieces from last season, from Murray to McBridge and their offensive coordinator, Drew Petzing, but after watching Arizona find their footing down the stretch, Yates believes doubling down on Harrison Jr. is one of the keys to even better results this fall.
“The bottom line was he was not involved enough last season. I know that there’s a rookie learning curve and all that. The college tape looked pretty darn good for Marvin Harrison Jr. To be an immediate impact contributor, I didn’t think there was enough, and don’t forget his very first game last year, a game in which the Cardinals were up huge against the Bills. They ended up losing that game. Marvin Harrison Jr. was invisible. We can’t have weeks like that at all going forward for Arizona.”
"Marvin Harrison Jr. is too talented for you to not make him the focal point of your passing game."
@FieldYates predicts a breakout year for the second-year wideout pic.twitter.com/YAAS0tYigP
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) June 20, 2025
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