Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. announced on Thursday that he intends to enter the 2024 NFL Draft, forgoing his remaining college football eligibility.
The son of the Pro Football Hall of Fame wide receiver of the same name, Harrison has paved his own path to college greatness so far. At 6-foot-4 and an estimated 205 pounds, Harrison Jr. is built differently -- and has a different game -- than his prolific father, who thrived as a smaller possession receiver for the Peyton Manning era Colts and ranks in the top 10 all time in NFL history in receptions, receiving yards and receiving TDs.
The younger Harrison, who turned 21 years old in August, boasts elite physical traits, possesses unusual quickness for a receiver his size and is regarded to be driven for greatness. He operated with the route-running savvy that his father once did, also adding a rare strength element to his game that could make him one of the more exciting receiver prospects to enter the draft in some time.
There aren't many obvious negatives to Harrison's game, but he does suffer the occasional focus drop and might not be a tremendous yards-after-catch threat in the NFL, sometimes going to the ground easier than you'd expect. Even so, Harrison is a special talent whose pedigree will be highly valued.
Harrison enrolled at Ohio State, working with one of college football's best receivers coaches in Brian Hartline. After mostly sitting as a true freshman behind future first-round NFL draft picks Garrett Wilson, Chris Olave and Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Harrison surpassed his 2021 season receiving totals (5-68-0) in the Buckeyes' Rose Bowl win over Utah, catching six balls for 71 yards and three touchdowns.
That spring boarded him into a brilliant sophomore season in 2022. Harrison and current Texans rookie QB C.J. Stroud became one of the country's best WR-QB combos last season, hooking up for 77 receptions for 1,263 yards (16.4-yard average) and 14 TDs in 13 games. Harrison was brilliant in the Buckeyes' heartbreaking CFP semifinals loss to Georgia, catching five passes for 102 yards and two scores.
This season, Harrison was named a Heisman Trophy finalist -- one of only a handful of wide receivers to do so in the past several decades -- with a brilliant final season. He caught 67 passes for 1,211 yards (18.1 average) and 14 TDs, also adding a rushing score in 12 games.
