Marvin Harrison Jr. was on hand for Ohio State’s pro day in Columbus on Wednesday. Unfortunately for NFL teams, it was only to catch passes from one of April's top prospects, projected top-10 selection C.J. Stroud.
As just a sophomore, Harrison Jr. was not eligible to declare for the 2023 NFL Draft. He will have to, as the saying goes, wait until next year.
That wait seems much to the chagrin of teams and general managers around the NFL. Harrison Jr. arguably looked even more sharp on Wednesday than fellow Buckeyes wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba who was actually working out for evaluators.
“(It’s) like window shopping at a Lamborghini dealership for the model that doesn’t come out until next year,” an unnamed NFL scout told ESPN’s Jordan Reid.
The 6-foot-3 Harrison Jr. was a four-star recruit out of Philadelphia in 2021, when he chose Ohio State over FBS powerhouses such as Penn State, Notre Dame, LSU and Alabama.
The son of Pro Football Hall of Famer Marvin Harrison, he showed out catching passes from Stroud as a sophomore last season. One of Harrison’s best performances came under the brightest lights of them all, when he went off for 106 receiving yards and two touchdowns against an elite Georgia defense in Ohio State’s College Football Playoff loss to the Bulldogs.
Coaches and decision-makers around the NFL marveled at what Harrison Jr. had to offer during Ohio State’s pro day, tossing out accolades such as “incredible," "really impressive" and "he looked like a dude."
Once next spring comes calling Harrison Jr. will be mentioned with the likes of quarterbacks such as Caleb Williams and Drake Maye as a prospect who deserves real top-five consideration. That is how well he is viewed within the NFL scouting community.
There remains a chance he could be the highest wide receiver selected in the draft since Calvin Johnson landed with the Detroit Lions as the second overall pick back in 2007.
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