Photo by Sam Hodde/Getty Images
Prospect fatigue has officially set in.
With just over a month until the 2024 NFL Draft, we’re officially in silly season. It’s that magical part of the process where takes start flying that we’ve never heard before, and suddenly there are concerns about prospects we never had concerns about before. The latest victim: Marvin Harrison Jr, who apparently doesn’t have burst anymore?
The biggest talk around Harrison Jr. came from Chris Simms on Monday, who took the contrarian route of ranking him as the third receiver in the 2024 class.
Here’s my Top 5 WRs. Rankings based on film.
Awesome group. So much to like with Nabers, Thomas, and Harrison. I just think the LSU guys are able to separate more and run by you better than Harrison pic.twitter.com/GsqoKflRYX
— Chris Simms (@CSimmsQB) March 18, 2024
When it comes to the receivers in this year’s draft I’ll hear arguments about Marvin Harrison Jr. vs. Malik Nabers — I might not agree with them, but I’ll listen to them. There is no planet in which Brian Thomas Jr. is a better prospect that Harrison, and this falls into the well-worn Simms’ model of being different for the sake of being different in draft season. It’s an engagement farm, and it works.
That said, it’s not just Simms who is getting cold feet on Harrison, or didn’t buy in from the beginning. Over at NFL.com it’s a rosier outlook, with MH Jr. being ranked as the second best receiver in the class — but it’s the NFL player comparisons which really turn your head.
Malik Nabers (6.86): Justin Jefferson
Rome Odunze (6.74): Larry Fitzgerald
Marvin Harrison Jr. (6.83): CeeDee Lamb
There’s nothing wrong with CeeDee Lamb, but when it comes to comparing players, well, one of these things is not like the others. Justin Jefferson is the best receiver in the league, Larry Fitzgerald is one of the top-five receivers or all-time, CeeDee Lamb is good — but not legendary.
A lot of this is prospect fatigue. When we talk about a player month after month they stop making headlines, and then people pick at the sweater for no reason. This newfound doubt in Harrison Jr. stems from concerns over his release, as well as his ability to shake defensive backs. It’s a bit of a weird charge considering at 6’3, 209 pounds he’s a big-bodied guy who can make contested catches, while also having no problem matching up against the top DBs entering the draft this year.
Marvin Harrison Jr. isn’t just the best receiver prospect in this year’s class, he’s a generational prospect. There are only two times in the modern era I’ve been as impressed with a wide receiver out of college as I am seeing Harrison Jr. on film. The first was Larry Fitzgerald in 2004 who had the same level of polish and flawless ability. The second was Calvin Johnson in 2007. Megatron wasn’t as technically sound, but his jaw-dropping size and athleticism was impossible to ignore.
Harrison Jr. falls somewhere in the middle. It’s abundantly clear that his father had a huge impact on his play style, because his route running and crisp cuts look exactly like his dad’s — but he’s more athletic than pops, or Fitzgerald for that matter. We’re talking a receiver with a fluid running style, punctuated by an almost unnatural ability to change pace, both in a straight line and in routes. This constant gear-shifting is a massive headache to defensive backs, and even if they manage to keep up with his cuts and shiftiness, Harrison Jr. possesses the body control to use his frame to make catches where they can’t be contested.
The NFL Draft is always an imprecise science, but the newfound criticism of Marvin Harrison Jr. is one of the most ridiculous subplots this offseason. It’s been almost 20 years since we had a receiver as safe, and obviously brilliant as him — and so long as he’s injury free we’re talking about a player who will be Top 5 in the NFL within a year or two.
Harrison Jr. is just that good, and all the rest is noise.
