That Pesky Marvin Harrison Jr. Rumor Won’t Die And The Bears Could Benefit

Something weird is going on ahead of the 2024 NFL draft. At the end of the 2023 season, nobody disputed that Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. was the best player at his position in the draft class. Some went so far as to say he was the best overall prospect. His unique blend of size, strength, route-running, and speed made him a nightmare to cover. Nobody could find a conceivable argument where he could slip out of the top five once the 1st round began. Yet this is the draft. Weird stuff happens every year.

Insider Tony Pauline of Sportskeedia became the latest to feed a growing rumor that movement is happening in the wide receiver ranks. Harrison’s claim to the crown of #1 in the class is in danger. Reports persist that LSU’s Malik Naber has emerged as a genuine threat to be the first off the board in less than three weeks.

“For the longest time, the belief was that Marvin Harrison Jr. was far and away the top wideout in the draft, followed by Malik Nabers of LSU then Rome Odunze of Washington. And that could end up the way they come off the board in three weeks, but it’s no longer a consensus belief.

Reports the past few weeks have trumpeted several teams grading Nabers higher than Harrison on their receiver board, reports that are complete true. Yet this hasn’t been reported; several teams have Odunze rated higher than Nabers. So why the different rankings between three very talented pass catcher?”

On the surface, it isn’t hard to explain this.

NFL teams tend to covet speed at the receiver position. It is why guys like Henry Ruggs and Jaelen Raegor went ahead of Justin Jefferson in 2020. It’s why Sammy Watkins went ahead of Mike Evans in 2014. Speed is an obsession when it comes to that position. However, there are other reasons why Harrison might slip. It stems from how he’s handled the months leading up to the draft.

“First, Harrison is coming off a slightly disappointing 2023 season where more was expected from him, though truth be told, poor quarterback play at Ohio State and questionable game planning had a lot to do with the dip in production.

Then there’s the fact that Harrison has voluntarily done little in the run- up to the draft: no testing and no pass catching, rather measurements and a few interviews. And while people justifiably say, “Just watch the film,” the fact is that all the events leading up to draft day are one big job interview. When a prospective employee refuses to participate in the types of testing and workouts others have done for decades, it leaves a bad taste in the mouths of potential future employers who are about to invest millions of guaranteed dollars into that player and, more than anything else, opens the door for others.”

Marvin Harrison Jr. has bucked the system, and it may cost him.

It sounds absurd. The fact he prefers to focus on preparing for the NFL rather than jumping through various hoops at the combine and pro days isn’t that bad. Then again, the process wasn’t too good for previous future stars like Julio Jones, Calvin Johnson, and Amari Cooper. What makes Harrison so high and mighty that he’s going to ignore the entire thing? That is what several NFL decision-makers might be saying to themselves right now. For all his ability, such a decision can rub purists the wrong way. Just one team passing on him in favor of Nabers or even Odunze could cause a cascade effect that sees him slip from the top five to the bottom half of the top ten.

The Chicago Bears hold the #9 pick. While they still have a reasonable chance of landing one of the top receivers, nobody ever would’ve dared imagine Marvin Harrison Jr. would be in that conversation. That appears to be changing. If he slips past the New York Giants at #6, GM Ryan Poles will have a decision to make. It is possible Tennessee and Atlanta could take him, but they have pressing needs at other positions. Poles could choose to gamble and see if Harrison drops. Or he could do the sensible thing and move up a few spots to land one of the three best prospects in the entire draft.

Try to imagine Caleb Williams throwing to Harrison, D.J. Moore, and Keenan Allen. Nobody is stopping that.