Marvin Harrison Jr., WR Ohio State: 2024 NFL Draft Profile

Harrison was a four-star recruit from St. Joseph's Prep School in Philadelphia, Pa. in the class of 2021

Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. lives up to the hype. The true junior will be one of the first three players selected in the 2024 NFL Draft if he matches his performance from last season.

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Marvin Harrison Jr., WR Ohio State: 2024 NFL Draft Profile

Classification: Junior wide receiver from Philadelphia, Pa.

Background: Harrison was a four-star recruit from St. Joseph's Prep School in Philadelphia, Pa. in the class of 2021. He was the No. 97 recruit according to 247Sports, No. 87 for Rivals, and No. 73 for On3.com. ESPN ranked him 82nd in the nation with an 85 grade out of 100. Harrison finished his high school career with 144 receptions for 2,625 receiving yards and 37 receiving touchdowns. His receiving yardage and touchdown marks were Philadelphia Catholic League records. Harrison helped St. Joseph's Prep to three consecutive Pennsylvania 6A State Championships. His father is Indianapolis Colts Hall of Fame wide receiver and former 19th overall pick from Syracuse, Marvin Harrison Sr. The older Harrison played 13 seasons in the NFL, amassing 1,102 receptions for 14,580 yards and 128 touchdowns. He made eight consecutive All-Pro teams and made the Pro Football Hall of Fame All-2000s Team.

Injuries & Off-Field: Suffered a head injury vs. Georgia (2022)

Awards: 2022 First Team All-Big Ten, 2022 Academic All-Big Ten, 2022 Big Ten Richter-Howard Wide Receiver of the Year, 2022 First Team All-American

Pros: Special teams experience on the kick and punt return units, experience out wide and in the slot, good combination of height and weight, only three drops in 2022, natural hands catcher, high-points the ball and rises to meet throws, makes catches outside of his frame to correct for inaccurate throws, finishes sideline catches, uses a combination of footspeed, hand fighting, and tempo to win versus press, used hand fighting to prevent Joey Porter Jr. from jamming him (2022), routinely beat Kalen King’s press coverage (2022), quickness off the line to beat press coverage with an outside release, eats the DBs cushion quickly, fires feet with elite speed to freeze defenders, alters route tempo, route tempo and pacing master, throws shoulder and head fakes, nuanced and detailed route running, route running and footwork result in sharp routes, sudden breaks and acceleration, quick and natural footwork on comeback routes, snappy at top of the stem, significant hip sink at the top of his routes, battles through mid-route contact, makes catches through contact or with DBs hanging on him, makes receptions in a crowded air space, works back through the defender to the ball to draw DPIs, works back to his QB or flows with his QB on extended plays, finds the soft spot between the zone’s second and third layers, willing blocker, flashes of physical blocking

Cons: Lean build, arm length appears good but not great, not required to showcase expansive release package in 2022, deep speed isn’t elite, inconsistent separation created on go routes, not a big-time YAC threat, not twitchy or elusive after the catch, dropped a touchdown vs. Georgia (2022), blown backward when blocking, must learn to sustain blocks, defenders can crowd him at the catch point

Overview: Harrison has experience operating out wide and in the slot. He offers an ideal combination of height and weight to play either role. Harrison is a natural hands catcher who only dropped three passes in 2022 despite seeing more than 100 targets. He high-points the ball and rises to meet throws. Harrison’s ball skills allow him to make catches outside of his frame to correct for inaccurate throws. He also excels at making sideline catches. The junior uses a combination of footspeed, hand fighting, and tempo to defeat press coverage. His hand fighting prevented Joey Porter Jr. from jamming him, and the Ohio State star routinely beat Kalen King’s press coverage (2022). Harrison’s quickness off the line defeats press coverage and eats the cornerback’s cushion in off-man or zone. He fires his feet with elite speed and mixes in tempo and route fakes to freeze defenders or generate separation. There isn’t a receiver in the draft with a better mastery of route tempo and pacing. Harrison’s nuanced and detailed route running allows him to generate significant separation. Georgia’s Kamari Lassiter and Kelee Ringo struggled to match his complex routes (2022). The four-star receiver’s route running and footwork result in sharp routes. His sudden breaks and immediate re-acceleration leave defenders grasping at air. Harrison displays quick and natural footwork that results in snappy cuts at the top of the stem. He also sinks his hips well for a taller receiver. The All-American battles through mid-route contact and contact at the catch point to make plays. He works back to his quarterback on extended plays and finds the soft spot between the zone’s second and third layers. Harrison is sometimes blown backward when blocking, but he is a willing blocker who shows flashes of physicality. The Pennsylvania native is still an elite athlete despite being lean and not offering too much after the catch due to limited twitch and elusiveness. Harrison appeared on Bruce Feldman’s Freaks List for The Athletic in 2022. According to Feldman, the receiver benches 380 pounds and posted 22 reps of 225 pounds. He runs a 3.94-second 20-yard shuttle and posts a 10'9" broad jump. Harrison clocked in at 23 mph at his top speed on the GPS. Despite that GPS number, Harrison lacks elite deep speed. He generates inconsistent separation on go routes and doesn’t pull away from elite linear athletes. Harrison’s arm length appears good but not great. The All-Big Ten receiver wasn’t required to showcase an expansive release package in 2022.

Overall, Harrison doesn’t possess elite speed, but his ball skills, footwork, and route running, among other skills, make him one of the five best wide receiver prospects in the past decade. His significant success against highly touted college cornerbacks in 2022 suggests he is already at the level of an NFL-caliber starter.

Role & Scheme Fit: Scheme and position versatile threat

Round Projection: Top Ten Selection

Size: 6'4", 205 lbs. (Unofficial)

Submitted: 07-19-23