Cardinals' Marvin Harrison Jr. Projected to Breakout Next Year

Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. was projected to land in the desert shortly after being made the No. 4 overall pick in last year's draft and transform Arizona's offense overnight.

Once the dust settled on Harrison's rookie campaign, the box score numbers (62 receptions for 885 yards and eight touchdowns) were by no means awful, though the tape and eye test of his first year in the league showed he wasn't quite ready.

Harrison struggled out of the gates with no preseason action and a very obvious lack of chemistry with quarterback Kyler Murray.

That - mixed with the Cardinals trying to utilize Harrison in ways he simply wasn't tasked with during his Ohio State days (he's not a jump-ball receiver) - left some feeling like Harrison left a lot of food on the table.

"It's been up and down," said Harrison towards the end of the season. "... It's part of it - part of the sport, part of being a rookie and going from college level to the pro level, always just keep your head up."

Now entering his sophomore season, Harrison could eat in a big way.

ESPN's Dan Graziano picked Harrison to breakout in 2025:

"Marvin Harrison Jr., WR, Cardinals . How quickly we forget, right? Everybody thought Harrison would slide right into NFL stardom, but it can take a minute even for the can't-miss guys. Harrison still has all the skills that made us love him heading into the draft, plus a year in the league."
ESPN's Dan Graziano

Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon would agree with Graziano.

“I thought he had a good year. Coming in with the expectations that typically only get put on quarterbacks in the top three, I understand the expectation. He was a premier player for us. He's going to continue to be a premier player for us and he hasn't hit his ceiling yet," Gannon said at his end of season press co

"I look forward to the offseason that he's about to go through. I look forward to him getting back in the building, playing to the level that I want him to play, that you guys want him to play and that he wants to play most importantly. I know he is going to get there.”

With Harrison's work ethic, it feels almost impossible for the Ohio State product to not improve from his first season - whether he burst on the scene in 2025 like many had hoped he would previously remains to be seen, however.