Marvin Harrison Jr. has chance to reach full potential with Texans

Marvin Harrison Jr. entered the NFL with enormous hype and potential, and was looked at as a can't-miss wide receiver prospect coming out of Ohio State in the 2024 NFL Draft. It did not work for him with the Arizona Cardinals, as he not only failed to meet expectations; he simply never became a reliable player. 

His Cardinals tenure is coming to a close with a reported trade to the Houston Texans that is reuniting him with his former college quarterback, C.J. Stroud, and putting him into an organization that has better talent around him and is expecting to win.

Will it be the type of change that helps him realize his potential? 

History suggests that may not be the case.

Marvin Harrison Jr.'s early career is ominous sign for future production

Ryan Wilson from CBS Sports did some digging into this and found that of the recent first-round wide receivers that were traded within the first three-to-four years of their career, the only ones that actually turned things around in a new spot were Amari Cooper and, if you really reach, maybe Sammy Watkins.

Everybody else on the list (and there are 10 other wide receivers prior to Harrison Jr.) remained the same player they were in their initial stop. 

That makes some level of sense. If you're going to be a good player, and especially a star, you usually see some evidence of it within the first couple of years.

Even if the circumstances around a player are bad (and in Harrison Jr.'s case, they have been bad), there is at least something that gives you hope.

There is the occasional big game.

The occasional pop of talent.

He just never showed any of that. 

He managed only two 100-yard games in Arizona (one of which came in his second game), topped 90 yards only five times, and caught more than six passes in a single game just one time. 

Even with a bad quarterback situation and a struggling offense, he was supposed to be the No. 1 target, the No. 1 wide receiver, and the guy that the offense was going to run through. He simply never delivered.

Now, with his former college quarterback and a quarterback that has been quietly putting together a strong season, there are going to be no more excuses. The pressure is going to be on to deliver, and if it does not happen here, you have to start asking if it will ever happen for him in the NFL.