Kyler Murray opens up about connection with Marvin Harrison Jr. after complex rookie season

Kyler says connection with Marvin Harrison Jr. is ‘night and day’

The Arizona Cardinals could have traded down from the fourth overall pick in the 2024 draft. GM Monti Ossenfort had been extremely active in the first round the year before, trading down with the Houston Texans and then trading back up to select franchise tackle Paris Johnson Jr.

Rather than accumulating picks again in 2024, he and the Cardinals stayed at four, and drafted the heavily lauded wide receiver that fell right into their laps.

Marvin Harrison Jr. had been dubbed a generational prospect. He’s the son of Hall of Fame, Super Bowl champion wideout Marvin Harrison, who was Peyton Manning’s primary target for a large portion of his career.

Harrison Jr. had been lighting up the college football scene on a weekly basis. He recorded back-to-back 1,400+ yard seasons with the Buckeyes, while totaling 28 receiving touchdowns in his two years as a starter.

The Cardinals needed a primary target for Kyler Murray at wide receiver, and added Harrison Jr. to the offense.

Fans were eagerly awaiting an immediate breakout, but it never came. Harrison caught one ball for four yards in the opening game of the season against the Buffalo Bills, which sparked immediate controversy in the media, with Kyler Murray suggesting it’s ‘not my job’ to make sure he gets the ball.

The rookie wide receiver ended the year with 62 catches on 116 targets for a total of 885 yards and eight touchdowns.

It was a solid year by all accounts, but fell short of the anticipated mark for a generational talent being drafted in the top five.

Kyler Murray was asked about his connection with Marvin Harrison Jr. this week, to which he replied:

“Me and Marv are in a great place. Honestly, night and day from when we drafted him to now. He’ll start conversations with me. I haven’t got to beg him to talk to me. I love where we’re at, and now it’s just time to go execute.”

There were times last year that the connection between the franchise quarterback and star receiver looked off. They often struggled to find a rhythm in the red zone, despite Harrison ending the season with eight touchdowns.

Tight end Trey McBride is an integral part of the offense and one of the best receiving TEs in football, but his targets shouldn’t be at the detriment of Marvin Harrison’s ceiling.

Star safety Budda Baker believes the second year of Marvin Harrison Jr. is going to be special, but it will all come down to the chemistry he has with Kyler Murray on the field.

Harrison’s catch percentage ranked close to the bottom of NFL receivers in 2024

Of all of the pass catchers in the NFL that had at least 45 targets, Marvin Harrison Jr. ranked 12th from the bottom in catch percentage.

Some of those were wayward passes, balls knocked out in coverage, and a general lack of rhythm played a role.

This season, Marvin Harrison Jr. arrived at camp looking significantly stronger, and believes he is now ready to take the next step.

His added muscle should help him make plays in contested catch situations, and if he can start to dominate those opportunities, it may be a very different year for the Cardinals’ wide receiver.