Marvin Harrison Jr. draft projection: 3 teams whose offense needs the Ohio State star
Ohio State wideout Marvin Harrison Jr. officially declared for the 2024 NFL Draft on Thursday. He made the announcement on Instagram, with a long thank you note penned to the OSU coaches, the fans, and his family,
Harrison is widely considered the No. 1 wide receiver in the 2024 draft class. Half-track star, half-acrobat, the 6-foot-3 Harrison corralled 67 catches for 1,211 yards and 14 touchdowns in 12 appearances for the Buckeyes last season. ESPN ranks him as the top overall prospect.
While the top few spots in the NFL Draft are traditionally reserved for superstar quarterbacks and all-world defenders, Harrison has a case to go No. 1 overall. Most likely, however, he is cemented somewhere in the top five, with the allure to draw several outside teams into the conversation via trade.
Any offense would benefit from Harrison's addition. His agility, explosiveness, and positional flexibility is hard to come by. Concerns about his slight frame are offset by incredible speed and unrivaled hand-eye coordination. Few wideouts in the NFL can make the tough catches Harrison routinely made at Ohio State.
That said, here are the teams most in need of Harrison's skill set.
3. Patriots should consider Marvin Harrison Jr.
Next season will mark the beginning of a new era for the New England Patriots. Bill Belichick's militaristic practices and no-nonsense press conferences are a thing of the past. At least in Foxboro. There are several roster holes for the next front office to fill, starting with quarterback. There is a general expectation that New England will use their No. 3 overall pick to address that need.
That said, Caleb Williams and Drake Maye are expected to come off the board at No. 1 and 2. If that happens, New England could feel it's a mild stretch to select the third-best QB — Jayden Daniels or Michael Penix Jr. or Bo Nix — instead of the obvious top overall talent in Harrison. There are other avenues to find competent QB play, either via trade or free agency, but it's hard to add a potential top-shelf wideout like Harrison.
The factors to blame for Mac Jones' struggles last season are manifold. Belichick zapped his confidence, the offensive line cratered, and the play-calling was putrid. Most of all, however, Jones simply didn't have anybody to throw to. DeVante Parker was hurt. JuJu Smith-Schuster bombed. Sixth-round pick DeMario Douglas could only do so much. Jones gets the most blame of all — he's clearly not a good QB — but had the Patriots put at least one reliable wide receiver on the field, maybe the Patriots' offense would have been more watchable.
Harrison will elevate whichever QB New England lands on. The Patriots could trade back into the first round or wait until the second round to invest in their next QB, using No. 3 to guarantee a generational talent in the pass-catching department. Harrison shouldn't take long to impact winning in the NFL. This is a bold move from New England, but it could ultimately prove to be the correct move.