Cardinals Awards: Marvin Harrison Jr. Wins Offensive Rookie of the Year

The Arizona Cardinals made a significant investment in their pass-catching unit, drafting WR Marvin Harrison Jr. fourth overall in the 2024 NFL Draft.

As we continue to hand out Cardinals postseason awards here at Arizona Cardinals On SI, the choice for Offensive Rookie of the Year is anything but a competition.

(You can read about our pick for Defensive Rookie of the Year here)

Sure, there wasn't a great deal of rookie production on the offensive side of the football in the 2024 season, and Harrison didn't exactly light up the stat sheet in Arizona's inconsistent passing offense.

Regardless, Harrison was far and away the most impactful offensive rookie. And outside of budding star TE Trey McBride, the rookie was the Cardinals' most productive pass-catcher.

Harrison missed almost a full game with a concussion, but put up 885 yards on 62 receptions, along with eight touchdowns, the second-most among rookie receivers.

For any rookie not crowned "generational," those numbers would be quite impressive, perhaps surprisingly so. But the standard was set early for Harrison, and it seemed as if he and QB Kyler Murray struggled to find a true rhythm for much of 2024.

Earlier this season, I wrote a lengthy piece on why some of Harrison's rookie mistakes and relative lack of production shouldn't be worrisome.

Harrison did, in fact, put forward a very solid opening season, and was instrumental to a passing attack that would have been lost without he and McBride.

Harrison recorded 14.3 yards per reception, and began to win one-on-one matchups more frequently as the season went on. He recorded two instances of 100 or more yards in crucial wins against the Los Angeles Rams and Miami Dolphins.

In the final two games of 2024, he caught 11 of his 16 targets for 159 yards and a touchdown.

If those numbers aren't convincing, Harrison finished with more rookie-season yards than both his father Marvin Harrison Sr. (64 catches, 836 yards), and Cardinals legend Larry Fitzgerald (58 catches, 736 yards). The rookie also matched both greats' rookie-year touchdown totals (8).

Granted, rookie WRs Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas Jr. put up more yards than Harrison. It's reasonable to want to see more explosiveness from the Cardinals' top receiver, and better chemistry with Murray.

But the rookie did show that he can play at the NFL level. Labeling him as a "bust" is irresponsible and false. His numbers were solid, his work ethic and physical talent were on display, and he'll be in excellent position for a breakout come 2025.

Some better schematic utilization, more chemistry with his quarterback, and a full NFL season under his belt, with an off-season's worth of improvement to come could easily help catapult Harrison into the upper echelon of wide receivers as early as his sophomore season.

That will, of course, all come with time and reps. As a raw player, Harrison is physically gifted and fully capable of putting up elite performances. His biggest obstacle might just be the expectations laid upon him.