NY Giants weird draft strategy included trying to turn Marvin Harrison Jr. against Ohio State

Entering the 2023 college football season, it was a foregone conclusion that Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. was going to be the first position player selected in the 2024 NFL Draft. But, as is the case throughout the pre-draft process, there's always a chance a player falls a bit in favor of a player who interviews or performs well at the NFL Scouting Combine. So, Harrison decided to take interviews with teams at the Combine, even though in all likelihood he was going No. 4 overall to the Arizona Cardinals.

One of the teams Harrison interviewed with was the New York Giants, who held the No. 6 pick in the NFL Draft, and who just so happened to be the first team to be filmed for "Hard Knocks: Offseason." So, there were HBO cameras in the suite during their interviews with draft prospects.

Harrison was shown a play from Ohio State by Giants wide receivers coach Mike Groh where quarterback Kyle McCord missed him wide-open. Groh asked what Harrison says to the quarterback after the play in the huddle, Harrison revealed he doesn't say anything. When Groh called the play in question "a s*** throw," Harrison wouldn't take the bait. Instead, Harrison said "I'll never say anything to the QB. Just blame myself."

Marvin Harrison Jr. refuses to take Giants bait to roast Kyle McCord

This is just the player Harrison is. He's not going to throw a teammate under the bus, including McCord. Let's not forget, that McCord and Harrison were both high school teammates at St. Jospeh's Prep School in Philadelphia, Pa.

The reason the Giants showed this play in particular was because that was the year after Harrison went from C.J. Stroud to McCord at quarterback. McCord was no Stroud and left a lot to be desired, but Harrison was still the dominant receiver we all remember since joining Ohio State.

In 12 games played, Harrison caught 67 passes for 1,211 yards and 14 touchdowns. Through his three seasons for the Buckeyes, Harrison recorded 155 receptions for 2,613 yards and 31 touchdowns.

Harrison never made it to the Giants, instead going fourth overall to the Cardinals like many had expected. As for New York, they stayed put after missing out on a trade-up to the No. 3 pick for a quarterback and selected LSU wide receiver Malik Nabers. As for McCord, he transferred out of Ohio State and is currently playing for the Syracuse Orange.

Fans got an inside look at what the interview process is like for prospects at the NFL Scouting Combine. During their process, the Giants tried to see what Harrison would say by criticizing McCord. However, Harrison never took the bait.