The Cardinals' greatest wide receiver sees greatness in their current WR1.
Speaking at Kyler Murray's charity softball game on Saturday, former Arizona great Larry Fitzgerald spoke highly of Marvin Harrison Jr., the second-year wideout coming off an up-and-down rookie campaign.
“I saw a guy who made a lot of plays,” Fitzgerald said, via the Arizona Republic's Theo Mackie. “He did a really good job. When the ball came to him, he made his plays. He's only gonna continue to get better so I'm excited to see his Year 2.”
Harrison did make a handful of splash plays as a rookie and finished with a more-than-respectable stat line of 885 yards and eight touchdowns on 62 receptions. But given the hype surrounding him as the No. 4 overall pick and son of Pro Football Hall of Famer Marvin Harrison, his performance still fell short of early expectations.
He routinely seemed on a different page than Murray, leaving plays on the field due to missed connections. He had double-digit games with under 50 yards receiving, and at times was overshadowed by fellow rookies such as the Giants' Malik Nabers and Jaguars' Brian Thomas Jr.
Still, Fitzgerald recognizes Harrison's potential, and it's not a stretch to imagine the future Hall of Famer might see some of himself in the young pass-catcher.
Fitzgerald stopped playing following the 2020 season second all-time in both receptions (1,432) and receiving yards (17,492), and sixth in touchdown catches (121) -- right behind Harrison's father (128). However, his rookie output was eerily similar to Harrison's. Taken one spot earlier than Harrison 20 years prior, Fitzgerald totaled 780 yards and eight TDs on 58 receptions in his first season. He saw 115 targets to Harrison's 116.
The next year, he was off and running, with a league-leading 103 receptions for 1,409 yards and 10 TDs. He made 11 of the next 13 Pro Bowls.
Could Harrison see a similar leap?
The 22-year-old certainly possesses the talent, and he has Fitzgerald in his corner should he go seeking advice.
“If he ever needs anything, I told him, I'm always available for him any way I can be helpful,” Fitzgerald said. “But fortunately he has a father who was a heck of a lot better than I was so he can tap into him whenever he likes.”
At a celebrity softball game in May, tis the season for rampant optimism, but Arizona is hoping that a legend like Fitzgerald praising Harrison turns out to be a case of takes one to know one.