Ohio State’s MHJ Is Bonafede, but is he the NFL Draft’s #1 Receiver?
The presumptive first receiver to be drafted in April’s NFL Draft, Marvin Harrison, Jr has chosen to not work out at the NFL combine. The underclassman will let his play on the field speak for itself. Although this makes sense, as MHJ boasts elite traits, pedigree, skills and on-field success, it isn’t without risk.
MHJ indicated that he wants to focus on preparing for his rookie season in the NFL instead of being measured. In the big picture, this is a plus for whichever team drafts him as he will not have spent the months leading up to the draft working on non-football activities, like the 40-yard dash, and the long jump. Even though speed and explosiveness are valuable as an NFL receiver, getting off press coverage is more valuable than getting out of sprinters blocks. Those who are preparing for the combine spend time with personal trainers whose purpose is to improve testing results more than improve football abilities.
The risk is if someone like Malik Nabers runs a sub 4.3 40, it could vault Nabers over MHJ. Some teams already favor Nabors due to his skills after the catch.
MHJ is the son of a hall of famer Marvin Harrison, who played 13 years in the NFL and has passed on his knowledge of the game to his son. MHJ will attend the NFL combine and participate in interviews and medicals, but will not run, lift or do drills. We won’t know until late April if this decision will affect his draft status. Regardless of
the impact, MHJ should hear his name early on day one of the draft. The question remains, will not working out at the combine allow other prospects to leapfrog him?