No other college football program puts players into the NFL in the first round like Ohio State.
Lately, some of that first-round talent has really been proving themselves right away in the NFL. Since 2016, Ohio State has six first-round picks that have gone on to win a Rookie of the Year award in the NFL.
On Thursday, we’re going to see Marvin Harrison Jr. drafted very early on and he’s another player that could go on to do the same thing in his rookie season.
Joey Bosa (2016), Marshon Lattimore (2017), Nick Bosa (2019), Chase Young (2020), Garrett Wilson (2022), and C.J. Stroud (2023) are all previous Buckeyes to go on and win a Rookie of the Year award in their rookie seasons at NFL.
Can Marvin Harrison Jr. be the Offensive Rookie of the Year in the NFL?
The favorite to win the award is going to be Caleb Williams far and away with the Chicago Bears. The soon-to-be No. 1 overall pick will have earned that right for early odds just by being that selection, rightfully so. That by no means makes him a lock to win the award.
As of right now, the Arizona Cardinals seem to be the most likely place that Harrison will land in the NFL Draft. He will enter the Cardinals organization and immediately be their top option as a pass catcher. That right there is going to get him the targets to be a productive guy right off the rip, which you better be picked this early. I believe with the targets, we will see Harrison Jr. make the most of them and be a 1,000-yard wideout as a rookie for sure.
The other factor is health. None of it will matter if Harrison is hurt because he won’t be able to win the award. He is a player who never has had any serious injuries at Ohio State and has no medical concerns entering the NFL.
If Williams has a good rookie season and Harrison has a good rookie season, it is going to go to the quarterback. Harrison needs to have a huge season in year No. 1 with Kyler Murray throwing him the football to have a chance at the award. Other names like Brock Bowers, Malik Nabers, Jayden Daniels, Drake Maye, and Rome Odunze will be in contention.
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