Even with all the attention going to the record-breaking number of first-round QBs in the 2024 NFL Draft, Ohio State wideout Marvin Harrison Jr. still got plenty of love. It wasn’t just a strong QB class either; it was also a very strong WR class. And everyone agreed that MHJ was the cream of the crop.
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That was borne out when he was the first WR selected, No. 4 overall by the Arizona Cardinals. He finished his rookie year with 62 receptions for 885 yards and eight TDs. They were solid numbers, and Harrison obviously still has a lot of promise. However, it was clear he was lagging a bit behind some of his rookie peers, as he finished fifth in receptions and receiving yards among NFL freshmen last year.
Many would be satisfied with nearly 900 yards and eight trips to pay dirt as a rookie. Not Marvin Harrison Jr., though. He knows what it takes to be great in this league: his father, Marvin Harrison, is a Hall of Famer.
Harrison has been in the facility every day this offseason working on everything from his mind to his body—and especially his body, as Cardinals GM Monti Ossenfort recently shared.
“I gotta ask Marv about his workout plan… Marvin has been everything we wanted him to be,” Ossenfort said.
“We try to do as much research as we can on players and understand what we’re getting. Marvin has exceeded our expectations about what he is in terms of work ethic, preparation, how seriously he takes his job. I don’t know if there was a day this offseason that Marvin wasn’t in our building. Just training, just working, just getting better.”
Ossenfort also talked about how, even with Harrison’s solid rookie year—during which he didn’t lead all NFL rookies in any categories—he did lead all Cardinals wideouts in receptions and yards, and led the entire team in touchdowns. The team is expecting him to make a big jump in Year 2, and the youngster’s offseason dedication has allayed any fears that he wouldn’t build on that freshman campaign.
“And it’s showing. It’s showing in his body, it’s showing in how he’s performed out here in the spring. And we talk about it all the time, that jump that a player makes from their rookie year to their second year. That rookie year is tough. It’s tough on these guys,” Ossenfort added.
“It’s a lot of new stuff thrown at him. So we’re expecting the same from Marvin. He had a good rookie year … so we’re excited for him to be able to take that next step, and he’s really well on his way here the way he’s performed this spring.”
#Cardinals GM Monti Ossenfort on WR Marvin Harrison Jr.: "I don't know if there was a day this offseason that he wasn't in our building, training and getting better — and it's shown in his body. … He's well on his way." 🚀
Full episode with Ossenfort: https://t.co/RYQVDo37l2 https://t.co/UT5gVwavyA pic.twitter.com/1WgBDdbvF2
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) June 17, 2025
In his second year, Marvin Harrison Jr. will look to help the Cardinals to just their second winning record and playoff berth since 2015. They were quietly mediocre last year, at 8-9, and they loaded up on defense in the draft.
On offense, MHJ will hope that his connection with Kyler Murray can blossom and lead a sneaky good skill position group that also includes TE Trey McBride and RB James Conner to elite status in 2025.
