For months, if not years, two things have seemed certain about the 2024 NFL Draft; Caleb Williams and Marvin Harrison Jr. are surefire studs who are generational talents at their respective positions. Exactly where each of them gets picked has been a little tougher to decipher because we all know how valued quarterbacks are.
Many experts have said that Harrison Jr. is the “safer” guarantee, but it’s tough for a wide receiver to be the first overall pick. Typically, once the first quarterback is taken, the jockeying to get the next best quarterbacks takes place and before you know it, the surest bet in the draft is being drafted a few spots later than he should be. In this year’s case, Harrison Jr. is widely believed to be the best non-QB in the entire draft class, but that race to get a quarterback will probably push him to 4th overall, right into the lap of the Arizona Cardinals.
Marvin Harrison Jr. dropping below #4 in latest rumors
With still over a month until the NFL Draft, this is the prime time for experts (and “experts”) to start throwing out some rumors regarding what’s going to happen in April’s draft. And as we are starting to see, the rumor mill is grinding, with the latest idea being that the Arizona Cardinals may pass on Marvin Harrison Jr. in order to select Malik Nabers. Other reports, such as those by Daniel Jeremiah and Dane Brugler, state that there are multiple teams out there who prefer Nabers over MHJ.
100% true. Nabers has been viewed as WR1 for several teams since the season. And that says more about Nabers than anything else – he's a special talent. https://t.co/QEQ2tqZDqs
— Dane Brugler (@dpbrugler) March 18, 2024
Why Nabers over Harrison?
Jeremiah states that “speed, run after catch” are the main reasons why teams would give Nabers the nod over Harrison Jr. Brugler adds that Nabers is a “special talent,” and we know that athleticism and the ability to be electric on the field can be a deciding factor for some teams on draft day. Malik Nabers is exactly that; he’s an electrifying gamebreaker who can break a big play at any time, from anywhere on the field. That’s not to say that Harrison Jr. can’t break one, but Nabers is more of a consistent threat for the homerun.
Malik Nabers leads the entire country in receiving yards
-56 Receptions 981 Receiving Yards
-Averaging 7 REC 122 Yards Per Game
-9 Touchdowns (8 Games)Nabers is indeed THAT guy 🤩
pic.twitter.com/k7sxAFStcs— Joe O’Leary (@TheHQNerd) October 23, 2023
Let’s not take anything away from Marvin Harrison Jr. In the majority of minds, he is the #1 wide receiver in the draft and will be a Justin Jefferson type. Heck, Harrison may end up as an all-time great; he’s that good. He blocks well, runs great routes, and can make contested catches as well as anyone I’ve seen, but will that extra explosiveness that Malik Nabers has push the LSU alum over Harrison? It’s possible.
Could quarterbacks push Harrison down a few spots?
Another possible reason that Harrison Jr. could fall is because of teams’ desires to move up and pick their next franchise quarterback. It seems like the top three picks will be QBs, but if a team is desperate enough to grab their own signal caller, they could be willing to jump into Arizona’s fourth spot even if it means overpaying. There are a million scenarios that could happen and Harrison Jr. could potentially not go in the top four picks.
Let’s not get overthink it…
When all is said and done, most experts and fans agree that Marvin Harrison Jr. should and will be the first wide receiver off the board in next month’s NFL draft. He’s too good at too much to pass up and will probably end up being one of the best receivers of the next ten years. But man, it sure is fun to sift through all of these rumors and talk about the what ifs.
Ohio State WR Marvin Harrison Jr. will go down as one of the best college football wideouts ever. 🌰 Highlights from his CFB career: pic.twitter.com/s6lC1gtnl7
— College Football Alerts (@CFBAlerts_) January 21, 2024