Cardinals GM raises eyebrows with claim about Marvin Harrison Jr.'s rookie season

In the eyes of many outsiders and even some Arizona Cardinals fans, Arizona wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. was somewhat of a letdown as a rookie considering the expectations that hovered over him last winter. 

During a recent chat with Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, Cardinals general manager Monti Ossenfort insisted he's thrilled with where Harrison is in his overall development. 

"We are incredibly happy with where Marv is and where he’s going," Ossenfort explained, as shared by Andrew Gillis of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. "I’d say a unique thing about Marv’s production, if you compare, some of those unrealistic expectations from a fantasy football perspective were just that — unrealistic. If you take a step back and look, and Marv was our leading touchdown receiver, he was our second-leading receiver in terms of receptions and yardage behind a tight end (Trey McBride) who had a near-historic season."

Harrison entered September as one of the top betting favorites to earn Offensive Rookie of the Year Award honors after the Cardinals made him the fourth overall pick of the 2024 draft. However, he was no longer part of such conversations by the time Week 18 arrived. 

As Ossenfort alluded to, ESPN stats show that Harrison finished the regular season with a team-best eight touchdown catches. He was also second on the Cardinals with 62 receptions, 116 targets and 885 receiving yards. 

With all of that said, Harrison was fifth among rookies in receptions and receiving yards. Brian Thomas Jr. of the Jacksonville Jaguars led all first-year pros with 10 receiving scores. Jacksonville grabbed Thomas at overall pick No. 23. 

"There are certainly areas for Marv to grow," Ossenfort added, "and he’s been in the facility every single day since the end of the season. Marv is wired to improve. There are things that Marv knows he wants to do better. There are things that we have to do better as an offensive unit to help him out. Those things together, and just the way Marv is wired, is going to result in a lot of growth in his second year. From what we thought we were getting, he’s everything we thought we were getting."

As of Thursday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook had Harrison as a +5000 betting underdog to win the Offensive Player of the Year Award for the 2025 season. One wonders if such information could serve as additional bulletin-board material for Harrison as he prepares for the start of springtime workouts.