Marvin Harrison Jr. Scouting Report

Widely considered the best non-QB in the 2024 NFL Draft class, Marvin Harrison Jr., AKA Maserati Marv according to Gus Johnson, surprisingly wasn’t always considered the “generational” WR prospect that he’s often lauded as these days.

Don’t get it twisted. The son of Hall of Fame Colts WR Marvin Harrison was never truly an “under the radar” prospect, but he was “just” a four-star recruit and ranked outside his class’s top-10 WRs coming out of St. Joseph’s Prep School in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Of course, it didn’t take long for Harrison to prove that he was indeed the next big thing upon landing in Columbus. The man scored three TDs in the Rose Bowl during his first extended game action for crying out loud. And the rest, as they say, was history. Here's how Harrison ranked among 125 qualifying Power 5 WRs from 2022 to 2023:

  • Pro Football Focus (PFF) receiving grade: 92.3 (No. 1)
  • Passer rating when targeted: 128.8 (No. 10)
  • Receiving yards: 2,474 (No. 3)
  • Receiving TDs: 28 (No. 1)
  • Yards per route run (YPRR): 3.3 (No. 2)
  • Yards per reception: 17.2 (No. 7)
  • Targets per route run (TPRR): 31% (No. 3)
Marvin Harrison Jr.

Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. makes a catch against Michigan defensive backs Quinten Johnson and Mike Sainristil during the second half at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Saturday, Nov. 25, 2023. Photo Credit: Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK

Harrison’s 77-1,263-14 line with C.J. Stroud as a true sophomore in 2022 was impressive enough, but managing to follow that up with a 67-1,211-14 campaign in 2023 catching passes from Kyle “Honda” McCord really demonstrated that Harrison is QB proof and can thrive regardless of who's under center.

There’s obviously far more good than bad to the game of the reigning Heisman Trophy finalist, but what is it exactly that makes Marv click? Let’s dig in.

Pros and Cons of Marvin Harrison Jr. 

Pros

Does everything at a high level

The thing that Harrison does better than just about any college WR in recent memory is his ability to go up and get the football. Contested-catch artist doesn’t fully do him justice; you just don’t usually see this sort of body control from a 6'4, 205 lb. WR.

That said, Harrison is far more than just a jump-ball extraordinaire. Yahoo’s Nate Tice wrote the following on the latest stud Ohio State WR in this awesome breakdown:

“But Harrison Jr. has so much more to his game than simply dunking on smaller opponents. His pedigree of being the son of one of the most refined route runners of all time shows up on every Ohio State passing play. His overall polish, despite weighing 209 pounds and standing at just under 6-foot-4, is what starts to crystallize the more you watch him, whether it’s on all-22 or the TV copy.

Every aspect of his game oozes off the screen, from the route tempo and clean footwork; to the feigns on route stems that keep cornerbacks off-balance; to his bend and body control to sink and stay tight on his route breaks; to even his varied releases, like an elite pass rusher he can alter between speed and power when going against press or man coverage.”

Marv will probably spend most of his time lined up out wide at the next level, but he did demonstrate the ability to thrive from the slot (18% snaps) as well in 2023. Overall, Harrison registered an absurd 149.6 passer rating when targeted out of the slot over the past two seasons, which was the fourth-highest mark of any Power 5 WR with at least 25-such targets.

Marvin Harrison Jr.

Nov 4, 2023; Piscataway, New Jersey, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. (18) catches a 4-yard touchdown in front of Rutgers Scarlet Knights defensive back Robert Longerbeam (7) during the second half of the NCAA football game at SHI Stadium. Ohio State won 35-16. Photo Credit: Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK

Plus, Harrison's physical tools are outstanding even though he declined to test at the NFL Combine or at Ohio State’s Pro Day. His route-running ability borders on ridiculous considering his size, and his work ethic seems elite, too.

The Athletic’s Dane Brugler echoes this sentiment:

“It can be difficult to discuss Harrison without sounding hyperbolic, because he grades well above average in most areas. A tall, lean target with the long speed and short-area agility of a smaller player, Harrison displays controlled fluidity in his releases/routes, which allows him to create separation using complex breaks, stem angles and subtle head/body fakes.”

Both Tice and Brugler mentioned Larry Fitzgerald in their respective breakdowns. I think that A.J. Green is another reasonable comp for Harrison. Either way, it’s truly difficult to poke a major hole in Harrison as a prospect. Just look at the numbers for crying out loud!

Has a borderline erotic production profile

Harrison essentially broke Dwain McFarland’s excellent Rookie WR Super Model. Not only did Marv consistently put up big-time numbers in an extremely efficient manner, but he did so while being surrounded by fellow stud WRs and proved capable of elevating a less-than-ideal QB in 2023.

Reception Perception noted that Harrison achieved his incredible 2023 production while seeing double coverage on 16.8% of his sampled routes, which was the highest percentage of any prospect they’ve ever charted. And guess what, Harrison managed to save some of his best performances for the biggest stage:

  • 2022 Penn State: 10-185-0
  • 2022 Iowa: 7-62-1
  • 2022 Michigan: 7-120-1
  • 2022 Georgia: 5-106-2
  • 2023 Penn State: 11-162-1
  • 2023 Michigan: 5-118-1

Kudos to Notre Dame, against whom Harrison had muted outings of only 5-56-0 and 3-32-0, for doing a good job slowing him down, but even in those less productive performances, it's pretty easy to figure out who was mostly at fault for that.

At the end of the day, it was rare to see any college defense slow down Marv for any extended period of time.

Cons

YAC ability leaves quite a bit to be desired

It feels nitpicky to say anything bad about Harrison, but he was admittedly not that dynamic with the football in his hands. This is the one area where you can at least see where Malik Nabers WR1 truthers are coming from.

There aren’t a ton of examples of Harrison making explosive plays after the catch. For example, just look at the total missed tackles forced from the consensus big-three WRs in the 2024 rookie class last year:

  • Malik Nabers: 30
  • Rome Odunze: 15
  • Marvin Harrison: 5
Marvin Harrison Jr.

Nov 18, 2023; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. (18) pushes off Minnesota Golden Gophers linebacker Devon Williams (9) as he runs down the field during the first half of their game on Saturday, Nov. 18, 2023 at Ohio Stadium. Photo Credit: Clare Grant/The Columbus Dispatc / USA TODAY NETWORK

Personally, I think that missed tackles forced is more descriptive than predictive since Harrison also didn’t get schemed many low-aDOT targets that naturally lead to more yards after the catch (YAC).

Still, even adjusting for his route usage doesn’t land Marv in the most elite company. Per Scott Barrett at Fantasy Points, Harrison ranks in just the 16th and 21st percentile in missed tackles forced and yards after the catch per reception, respectively, among all Round 1-3 WRs since 2015.

Does this mean Harrison shouldn’t be the overall WR1? Of course not, but it’s a fair critique and the main basis for why some have Nabers ranked over him in this class. Usually, I have multiple cons for pretty every prospect, but yeah…here we are. That’s Marv for you. Moving on.

Fantasy Football Outlook for Marvin Harrison Jr.

The evaluation for Harrison becomes even cleaner when we consider the chances of him landing with either the Cardinals (picking fourth overall) or the Chargers (fifth overall). Both teams conveniently boast proven franchise QBs and WR depth charts in dire need of an elite No. 1 option.

This alone is good enough for a tiebreaker between Harrison and Nabers if you happen to believe that both WRs are in the same tier (which I do). The Ohio State product deserves to be the first non-QB off the board in dynasty formats. And honestly, even in superflex or 2QB leagues, if you want to draft Harrison over anyone not named Caleb Williams, go for it.

However, the hype is getting a little too wild for my liking in redraft formats. Harrison's current ADP as the WR10 on Underdog Fantasy in the middle of Round 2 is a bit rich. We hope that Harrison will be able to produce similar numbers to proven veteran WRs like Davante Adams and Mike Evans, but expecting that level of production from Harrison as a rookie could be a bit of wishful thinking.

Marvin Harrison Jr.

Oct 28, 2023; Madison, Wisconsin, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. (18) catches a pass while defended by Wisconsin Badgers cornerback Jason Maitre (23) during the first half of the NCAA football game at Camp Randall Stadium. Photo Credit: Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK

Reminder: Not every highly-drafted WR will take over the league right out of the gate. Here's how top-10 overall WRs since 2010 have produced in their rookie season:

  • Ja'Marr Chase: 81-1,455-13 (WR5 in PPR points per game)
  • Garrett Wilson: 83-1,103-4 (WR30)
  • Amari Cooper: 72-1,070-6 (WR27)
  • A.J. Green: 65-1,057-7 (WR16)
  • Mike Evans: 68-1,051-12 (WR13)
  • Jaylen Waddle: 104-1,015-6 (WR15)
  • Sammy Watkins: 65-982-6 (WR32)
  • Julio Jones: 54-959-8 (WR12)
  • DeVonta Smith: 64-916-5 (WR39)
  • Drake London: 72-866-4 (WR45)
  • Justin Blackmon: 64-865-5 (WR39)
  • Tavon Austin: 40-418-4 (WR48)
  • Corey Davis: 34-375-0 (WR76)
  • Mike Williams: 11-95-0 (WR128)
  • Kevin White: 0-0-0 (lol)
  • John Ross: 0-0-0 (lol)

Maybe Harrison’s rookie season could indeed be a game-changer like what Chase did back in 2021, but the odds are that he'll perform more like the rest of those names above. The margin for error is very thin for fantasy managers when Harrison's ADP is already in the second round, and that's before any post-NFL Draft hype or training camp highlight videos!

While it’s tough to move Harrison that far down the rankings due to his projected pristine landing spot where he could immediately see target volume, I’ve generally found myself more willing to take a top RB like Jonathan Taylor, Saquon Barkley, or De’Von Achane in that ADP range at this point in early best ball drafts.

NFL prospect profile