There are things that happen in the NFL Draft that simply won’t surprise you after years of watching it unfold. Seeing how Zach Wilson played against cupcake opponents at BYU and playing as a tight end for the Jets, it wasn’t the least bit surprising to learn that his game wouldn’t translate to the NFL. In the year When Troy Williamson broke in 2005, his only attribute was speed, combined with hands of stone and no passing ability.
Marvin Harrison Jr. was different. He fell on the other end of the dot. Everything in the pre-draft process made him look like a home run pick, a A player with every attribute to succeed in the NFL. There was nothing about how he played at Ohio State or the combination that could indicate he would struggle in the NFL — and when they selected him, the Cardinals seemed intent on getting the next Larry Fitzgerald.
After three years, the dream failed. He didn’t record a single catch against the Seahawks on Sunday, locking up his season stat with just two catches for 44 yards. In addition, he’s being released from Mike LaFleur’s offense, Harrison is pulling away from the field quickly, and Michael Wilson is getting a few cracks as the team’s No. 1 receiver passes through him, and even the now 31-year-old Kendrick Bourne is getting more involved in the offense than Harrison.
Harrison looked like he knew the game wasn’t going to be involved before the ball dropped. Quarterback Jacoby Brissett told the media he believes teams are running a two-high safety against the Cardinals to take Harrison’s bread-and-butter post route — but that’s too generous a reading from a QB trying to help a young player in the media. Let’s be honest: No opponents care about Marvin Harrison Jr. because they don’t need to. In three years, we have one good wide receiver prospect from the class of 2024 and perhaps the most coveted WR prospect hardly ever And it’s not even worth plotting against him.
What’s wrong with Harrison, and is there any way to save him?
There are two major blocks on Harrison Street, and both appear to be mental. There wasn’t any explosive first step we saw from him at Ohio State, which indicated he could break away early. There’s an inherent laziness to how he plays now where he slows off the line and then gets into set pieces. This may be the reason why he knows that the game is not prepared with him as a starter, but knowing that he does not have to worry about the number 18 with the ball is useful for the defender. It allows the corner to sit on his hip, while the safety can ignore the fact that he is on the field and looking at other targets.
Rarely does the ball come Harrison’s way, which fails to surprise him. Either he’s shocked that he’s being targeted, or he’s in over his head about making a play – but either way it results in drops. There were lapses in focus at Ohio State, but for the most part Harrison had as sure a hand as you’d get from a top college receiver. He’s not necessarily vulnerable in his limited time in the NFL, but he’ll make as many bad drops as possible.
All of this combined makes for an incredible receiver. If you can’t get separation in your routes, if you’re playing lazy and you can’t catch the ball when the game opens up for you – how are you going to trust a coach or a QB in a bigger role? Richard Sherman noticed this problem on Sunday, and He thinks the Cardinals need to do more to get Harrison out of this funk. While this may be true, at one point an entire football team cannot be sacrificed to artificially generate opportunities for a player who is not giving 100 percent. Especially when you have a first-year head coach, there’s a standard that needs to be established in terms of building a football culture, and it can’t include giving someone extra parties and games just because of his draft status.
This whole situation is a mess. Marvin Harrison Jr. is on a roll, and there’s no real way to stop him — not really. At this point, he feels like the type of QB that needs a change of scenery, one where he’s fighting for a position out of the weight of draft protection, going to a team that can reignite that fire under him and get things back on track. None of that is likely to happen in Arizona right now, because the Cardinals’ and Harrison’s goals can’t be aligned — without opting to give up the season, forget trying to feed him at all costs and win football games. That might be good for one player, but not the entire organization.
