The 2024 NFL Draft is just over a month away, and the ridiculous season is officially here. That’s the magical part of the process where takes you’ve never heard before start flying in and suddenly you have concerns about prospects you weren’t concerned about before. Latest victim: Marvin Harrison Jr., apparently no longer bursting?
The biggest story regarding Harrison Jr. came from Chris Sims on Monday, who took the contrarian route by ranking him as the No. 3 receiver in the 2024 class.
Here are my top 5 WRs. Ranking based on movies.
It’s a great group. I really like Neighbors, Thomas, and Harrison. I think the guys at LSU can be run by you with more separation than Harrison. pic.twitter.com/GsqoKflRYX— Chris Simms (@CSimmsQB) March 18, 2024
When it comes to receivers in this year’s draft, you’ll hear arguments about Marvin Harrison Jr. vs. Malik Nabors — I may not agree with them, but I’ll listen to them. I’m going to tilt it. There’s no planet on Earth where Brian Thomas Jr. is as good a prospect as Harrison, but this fits into the well-worn Sims model of being different because he’s different during draft season. This is an engagement farm and it works well.
Still, Sims isn’t the only one who has a cold shoulder for Harrison, or who didn’t agree with him in the first place. NFL.com ranks MH his junior as his second-best receiver in the class, making him a bright prospect. But it’s the NFL player comparisons that really grab your attention.
There’s nothing wrong with CeeDee Lamb, but when you compare players, one of them is different from the others. Justin Jefferson is the best receiver in the league, Larry Fitzgerald is one of the top five or all-time receivers, and CeeDee Lamb is good but not legendary.
Much of this is due to prospect fatigue. When we talk about a certain player every month, they stop making headlines and people start picking on sweaters for no reason. This new doubt about Harrison Jr. stems from concerns about his release and his ability to shake up defenses. That’s considering that at 6-foot-3 and 209 pounds, he has no problem matching up with the top DBs entering this year’s draft while being a big guy who can make competitive catches. That’s a bit of a strange price.
Marvin Harrison Jr. is not only the best receiver prospect in this year’s class, but a generational prospect. Only twice in modern times have I been as impressed with a wide receiver coming out of college as I was when I saw Harrison Jr. on film. The first was his 2004 Larry Fitzgerald, who had the same level of sophistication and flawless ability. The second was Calvin Johnson in 2007. Although Megatron wasn’t the most technically sound, his incredible size and athleticism were impossible to ignore.
Harrison Jr. is somewhere in the middle. It’s clear that his father has had a huge influence on his playing style, as his route running and crisp cuts are similar to his father’s, but he is more athletic than Pops and Fitzgerald. ing. We’re talking about a receiver with a fluid running style, punctuated by an ability to change pace almost unnaturally, whether it’s in a straight line or on a route. This constant gear shift is a big headache for defensive backs, and even if they can keep up with his cut and shift moves, Harrison Jr. uses his size to help him out in spots where he can’t compete. Has the body control to make the catch.
The NFL Draft has always been an inexact 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 there’s been a receiver as safe and obviously talented as him. And if he doesn’t get injured, we’re talking about a player who in a year or two will be in the top five in the NFL.
Harrison Jr. is that good, all the rest is noise.
