Like Father Like Son… Marvin Harrison Jr.

First Round Mock welcomes Thomas Coletta to our team of writers, and he begins by breaking down one of the biggest names in the 2024 NFL Draft, Marvin Harrison Jr.

Quite possibly the best wide receiver prospect since Calvin Johnson will be in this years’ draft.

He’s a 6-foot-4 from Ohio State and his name is Marvin Harrison Jr.

That name might be familiar because his father Marvin Harrison was a Hall of Fame receiver for the Colts who caught passes from quarterback Peyton Manning. That alone is causing really high expectations for a prospect who has not even played an NFL snap yet.

I believe his son could be even better.

2022 Review

As a sophomore in college he boasted an outstanding 77 catches for 1,263 yards and 14 touchdowns.

This is insane for someone his age, and he would have been the top receiver in this past draft if he could declare.

I thought I would dive deeper and see the competition he played against and watch some of his game footage.

I started with Arkansas State where he went off for 184 yards and 3 touchdowns on 7 catches. He blew right by the entire secondary one play for a score and then Mossed another guy for another one.

Maybe this was a fluke and just against a bad team.

I checked out his Penn State film where he went up against the No. 32 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, cornerback Joey Porter Jr. Harrison finished this game with 185 yards on 10 catches making insane catch after catch.

Moving on to the Georgia game…

Against the best defense in the country and underneath some of the brightest of lights, Harrison had 106 yards and 2 touchdowns on 5 catches, which is crazy. He did not finish the game due to being knocked out.

Game film strengths/weaknesses

The biggest strengths to Harrison’s game involve what we saw out of his father, elite hands and route running. He’s open almost every play and has the entire route tree at his disposal. His awareness to stop on a dime and change direction is other worldly. He can make any catch possible and he’s an elite toe tap artist at all angles.

Another thing to look out for is, he’s dangerous after the catch making a man miss.

BOOM!

Just like that he can gain an extra 10 yards!

This Ohio State receiver has great size and his in game speed will blow you away.

Even from the word go, he’s very intentional with his releases and has fluid hips as well.

Harrison is almost everything you would want from an elite receiver.

Weaknesses?

Run blocking.

You may say that’s a bit of a reach, but because he’s so good at everything else it makes this look bad.

What to expect in the 2023 college football season?

If Harrison stays healthy and has decent quarterback play, I believe we could be looking at historical production from him. Just as he separates from corners, he could truly separate and become the top prospect in this next draft class over quarterback Caleb Williams.

1,600 yards and 15 touchdowns is not unrealistic.

2024 NFL Draft

NFL Comparable: DeAndre Hopkins.

That’s my NFL comparison due to the fact they are both elite route runners who can make any catch needed. Both Harrison and Hopkins can make insane plays, and they are almost always open.

Are there any differences?

Sure, Harrison is a bit more athletic with his speed and agility, and he is a bigger human being than Hopkins (6-foot-1).

I also expect Harrison to run a faster 40-yard-dash time as we head into the 2024 NFL Draft.

Draft Grade: First-Round

This is the type of receiver who will be around on an NFL team for the next decade.

Game Film Reviewed:

Penn State ’22

Notre Dame ’22

Georgia ’22

Bottom line

Harrison is the type of player coaches lose sleep over and dread when their defense has to cover him.

Thomas Coletta is an aspiring NFL General Manager and he’s a junior at Florida State University studying Sports Management. He is from Windermere, Florida and grew up a huge Patriots fan. He currently writes NFL Draft prospects articles on FirstRoundMock.com, and is hoping to get his name recognized.