Marvin Harrison Jr. was the consensus top wide receiver in this year’s NFL Draft, and the Arizona Cardinals were fortunate enough to grab him with the fourth overall pick.
Many see Harrison as a generational talent, and it helps that his father was a Hall-of-Fame wide out himself.
However, that does not mean he is just going to waltz into the Cardinals’ facility with a red carpet rolled out for him.
Arizona offensive coordinator Drew Petzing made that very clear this week, saying that Harrison will have to earn his keep just like everybody else.
“In my opinion, he has to be like everyone else if he’s going to be the best version of himself,” Petzing said, via Jose M. Romero of The Arizona Republic. “The way that he comes in and approaches his job, the way that he goes out there and practices, the way that he integrates himself into the team, if he’s going to be the best version of himself, I think those are the things he has to focus on. And that’s certainly what we’re going to emphasize.”
Harrison—who played his collegiate football at Ohio State—is coming off of a 2023 campaign in which he caught 67 passes for 1,211 yards and 14 touchdowns.
The 21-year-old arrived at Ohio State in 2021 and had a limited role at first, logging 11 catches for 139 yards and three scores. He then broke out in his sophomore season, hauling in 77 receptions for 1,263 yards while reaching the end zone 14 times.
Harrison is expected to be Kyler Murray’s No. 1 receiver right off the bat, but he isn’t going to get any special treatment.
“We’ve got to get out on the practice field and watch him move around and see what he does well, and make sure we’re trying to utilize the best of his abilities to operate our offense at a high level,” added Petzing. “I don’t think that’s going to change with him as with anyone else that walks into the building.”
The Cardinals were in dire need of another weapon in their aerial attack, and Marvin Harrison Jr. certainly fits the bill. But Petzing is laying down the law right from the beginning, and that’s a good sign for the team’s organizational culture moving forward.
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