Garrett Wilson was already used to making amazing plays at Ohio State, but Marvin Harrison Jr. was awe-inspiring the first week he was on campus.
Before the two shared the field together, Harrison, who graduated from high school early and enrolled in January 2021, caught Wilson’s attention with his bench press.
“He did 18 reps at 225 [pounds] “It’s like my second day in the facility,” Wilson told the Post. “I was doing a test two years ago and I actually had to change the bar to 185. It was a huge discrepancy and I was like, ‘Oh, this guy’s not kidding.’ . That says a lot about his work ethic. It’s not something you just have. You build it. ”
Three years later, Wilson is making the Jets look smart with the No. 10 overall pick in the 2022 draft.
He is the only NFL receiver to gain 1,000 yards on losing teams in each of the past two seasons.
However, Harrison is ranked No. 1 overall by some analysts’ 2024 draft committees, including ESPN’s Jordan Reed, who says Harrison has a “gold jacket “It has great potential,” he said.
It’s a reference Harrison made one day to his father, a former Colt who was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame and ranks fifth in league history in career receptions.
“The best way to describe Marvin is he’s a grinder,” Wilson said. “He was always going to be the best player on the field, and on the rare occasions he wasn’t, he would work all day the next day to make sure it never happened again. That’s what I like most about him. ”
ESPN analyst Mel Kiper Jr. calls Harrison the best receiver prospect since Calvin Johnson, the No. 2 overall pick in 2007.
Wilson and Giants receiver Parris Campbell, another former Ohio State star (2015-18) who is keeping a close eye on his alma mater, aren’t trying to dispel the hype.
“I hear there’s still a connection there and he’s probably the best receiver to ever walk there,” Campbell told the Post. “After watching the game closely, I have to say I think so too.”
The Giants and Jets both begin the offseason with significant receiver needs.
In the Giants’ case, it’s been a years-long search for a No. 1 pass catcher, having previously discovered Golden Tate, Kenny Golladay and Darren Waller.
For the Jets, they will be looking for a player to shift attention away from Wilson after free agent signing Allen Lazard disappointed last season.
But barring a trade, Harrison could be gone by the time the Giants (6th) or Jets (10th) pick.
The consensus among draft analysts is that Harrison will be selected No. 4 at the latest, but that’s because of the value of the quarterback and the selection of players like USC’s Caleb Williams, North Carolina’s Drake Maye and LSU’s Jayden Daniels. It was lowered only by evaluation.
After first meeting the Harrisons when father and son went on a recruiting visit to Ohio State, Campbell spent the first four seasons of his NFL career with the Colts, and older Marvin Harrison spent his entire 13-year career with the Colts. , still visiting the Colts.
He and teammate turned Colts receivers coach Reggie Wayne became the biggest weapons in Peyton Manning’s record-breaking offense.
“If you ask someone when Marvin Harrison Sr. is playing, ‘What’s going to happen to his son?’ — he’s exactly what you’d expect,” Campbell said. “We have endlessly transformed the conversation on the handset.”
The 2021 Buckeyes have Wilson, Chris Olave (2022 11th pick), Jackson Smith-Njiba (2023 20th pick), Harrison, and Emeka Egbuka (2025 first-round pick). He was catching passes from a promising offensive rookie in 2023. This year, it’s CJ Stroud (2023 2nd pick).
“There was never any competition,” Wilson said. “We just tried to drop every bit of knowledge we could about Marvin. Chris, who I knew to declare when I was a junior, is a senior and [Harrison] He was a freshman and it was, ‘How do we make sure he’s ready when his time to play comes?’ ”
Mission complete.
Harrison is the only two-time All-American receiver in program history, winner of the 2023 Biletnikoff Award as college football’s best receiver, and a 2023 Heisman Trophy finalist.
He ranks sixth at Ohio State in receptions (155) and yards (2,613) and third in touchdowns (31), but he started just two seasons and ranks 10th on the program’s all-time list. He has two seasons with 1,000 yards.
“He does it all: short routes, deep routes, across the middle,” Campbell said. “His height is unbelievable at 6-foot-3, but his short-area quickness is great. He’s probably going to run a 4.3, short he’s going to run a 4.4. [time in the 40-yard dash] At the combine. He has the ability to catch the ball, the control of his body, everything. ”
