Cardinals' Path to Marvin Harrison Jr. Clearing Up
ARIZONA -- It's no secret who the Arizona Cardinals fans want the organization to take with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
They just might get their wish, too.
Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. is the prized possession, and perhaps for good reason. Even removing his Hall of Fame father's name from the equation, Harrison has established himself as one of the premier playmakers emerging out of the collegiate ranks and is highly expected to be one of the first non-quarterback prospects taken.
The Cardinals - already with Kyler Murray under center and needing a legitimate No. 1 wide receiver - make a lot of sense as a match.
There's still a possibility Arizona will look to move down regardless of who is on the board, though if Harrison is "their guy", they'll need all three picks ahead of them to target quarterbacks.
The Chicago Bears own the top pick and despite previous noise on what they could/couldn't do with the pick, full expectations are USC quarterback Caleb Williams ends up being their guy with Justin Fields on the way out.
The Washington Commanders are very much in the same boat in their search for a new franchise quarterback - It feels like they'll have their pick of either UNC's Drake Maye or LSU's Jayden Daniels, though new OC Kliff Kingsbury (you remember him!) was heavily rumored to take the Washington job specifically for the opportunity to work with a new quarterback on the roster.
The New England Patriots were considered to be a true wild card ahead of Arizona. With Mac Jones in the mix, the Patriots were thought to seriously be a team to either take Harrison or allow a team like the Bears to move back into the top five (similar to what the Houston Texans did last year) to select Harrison.
With recent developments, a quarterback appears to be in the future for New England.
"The #Patriots appear open to trading QB Mac Jones and teams have been calling them and doing work on the former starter, sources say. With a new coaching staff, a fresh start may make sense for all sides," wrote NFL insider Ian Rapoport on Twitter/X.
Jones' potential departure would create an obvious opening for a new quarterback to slide through New England.
New Patriots coach Jerod Mayo was asked earlier this offseason how the team would address the draft:
“We’re going to take the best available player for the biggest need on the team,” Mayo said. “That’s what we’re going to do.”
What's a bigger need than quarterback?
At least for the moment, the Patriots are even more favored to stick and take a passer.
There's no guarantee Harrison will be available for the Cardinals when they're on the clock - and there's also no sure thing Arizona will stick around rather than moving down the board.
Yet if Arizona fans are rooting for the Ohio State product to slip down to No. 4, that path got a little clearer today.
