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2024 NFL Draft: How Does Marvin Harrison Jr. Fit with Arizona Cardinals?
The Arizona Cardinals spent the fourth-overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft on Ohio State Buckeyes receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., but what did it buy them?
Ohio State Buckeyes receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. is headed to the desert.
The Arizona Cardinals selected Harrison with the fourth-overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft on Thursday. Harrison has been in the NFL for less than an hour but is already drawing comparisons to a Cardinals legend.
The crew of analysts hosting ESPN's coverage of the draft immediately mentioned how much Harrison reminds them of retired Cardinals receiver Larry Fitzgerald. Along with his many accomplishments for the Cardinals, Fitzgerald is a candidate for the College Football Hall of Fame's Class of 2024 and is expected to be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame within the next handful of years.
Apr 25, 2024; Detroit, MI, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. poses after
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
There are indeed a lot of similarities between Harrison and Fitzgerald, one of which is height. Only an inch separates the 6-foot-4 Harrison from the 6-foot-3 Harrison, but both use their towering stature to high-point footballs like few others in the game.
Having a tall receiver whom can make tough, mid-air catches will benefit Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray. Standing just 5-foot-10 (which is much shorter than the average NFL signal-caller), Murray will be able to put some extra loft underneath his passes in order to take advantage of Harrison's skill.
Additionally, both Harrison and Fitzgerald have won the Fred Biletnikoff Award, an honor presented to the best receiver in the country for a given season. Fitzgerald won the trophy in 2003 while playing for the Pittsburgh Panthers, while Harrison won it in 2023 with the Buckeyes.
Harrison was drawing comparisons even before the draft. An anonymous NFL general manager told NFL insider Jordan Shultz earlier this month that Harrison was basically the reincarnation of Fitzgerald.
"I had a GM tell me in Orlando that Marvin Harrison Jr. was Larry Fitzgerald 2.0," Shultz said. "Malik Nabers might be a Ja'Marr Chase, maybe a higher upside. But I think the ceiling - I should say the floor for Harrison is so high that you know exactly what you're getting."
