At a school that has churned out wide receivers like Stephen King novels, Marvin Harrison Jr. has just felt a little bit different than the rest of the high-end pass catchers coming out of Columbus. Even Ohio State co-offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach Brian Hartline was quick to put Harrison Jr. on top of the recent batch of talented players he’s coached, before moving onto the rest of the, frankly absurd, list of players.
Harrison Jr.’s stock has been firm for almost two full seasons as the best wide receiver, and arguably the best overall player, in this draft that is full of offensive firepower. His arrow was always pointing up, or at the very least sideways, as he jumped up or sideways for errant passes during the 2023 season.
But then, as it seemingly always does during the shortest month of the year, the draft process power creep started to impact long-established prospects. The questions and nitpicks become declarations and career-hampering negatives, the newest north star statistic leading the way to the perfect prospect or away from a potential wasted draft pick.
Marvin Harrison Jr. has pretty much everything you’re looking for in a wide receiver prospect. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images)
In a group of talented wide receivers prospects (plus whatever you consider Brock Bowers), Harrison Jr. felt like he was in a tier of his own, and I still hold up in that regard. There has been plenty of drumbeating that has happened recently about LSU’s Malik Nabers, an unbelievably explosive receiver that sits at ninth on my most recent big board (slightly behind Washington’s Rome Odunze, and I’ll get into it later this week when I write about more on this year’s wide receiver class).
But I, personally, do not think Nabers is at the level of refinement of Harrison Jr.. Could he get there? Absolutely. Part of the appeal of Nabers is how productive he already is and the ceiling he still provides. I just also think Harrison Jr.’s own…
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Author : Yahoo Sports
Publish date : 2024-03-27 13:00:31
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