Ohio State Buckeyes WR Marvin Harrison Jr. Draft Stock Continues To Rise

Ohio State Buckeyes wideout Marvin Harrison Jr. may be an especially early selection in the 2024 NFL Draft.

The college football season hasn't even reached its halfway point yet, and experts are already focused on predicting the professional futures of the nation's best draft prospects. 

Sports Illustrated's Luke Easterling listed off his 32 best available players for next April's draft, a list which naturally included Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. 

Easterling rated the Buckeye wide out as the second best prospect in the class, only behind USC quarterback and last year's Heisman Winner Caleb Williams. According to Easterling, most analysts believe Harrison Jr. will be the first non-quarterback taken in the draft, and not many people around the league would argue that.

The junior route runner has already hauled in three scores and 336 yards on 17 catches this season, continuing to dominate defenses the same way that he did last year. Even without former star quarterback C.J. Stroud, who's now with the Houston Texans, Harrison Jr. is electrifying at every level of the field. The new man under center for Ohio State, Kyle McCord, has learned early on to put the ball in Harrison Jr's hands and that's one reason that the Buckeyes have started 2023 at 4-0.

Being considered a top-five prospect is a tremendous honor, especially considering there are several very talented players in this class. Nearly everyone has USC's Williams as a lock at number one, but what if the Trojans gunslinger chooses not to come out of school?

Williams has eligibility to stay and his camp has spoken publicly about possibly doing so if the team with the number one selection doesn't seem like the right fit. 

So, if the Heisman winner does stay, would a team opt to simply choose another field general from the pool? or would they take the most talented player available in Harrison Jr. with the draft's initial pick? 

The answer to that question will depend on a few things, two of the largest being what that hypothetical organization's current quarterback situation is and Harrison Jr.'s combine performance. 

All that being said, it's certainly not out of the realm of possibility, especially if the Buckeyes make another College Football Playoff appearance. If a few things break the right way, Harrison Jr. may just find himself at the very top of the draft boards.