Marvin Harrison Jr. NFL Draft 2024: Scouting Report for Ohio State WR

POSITIVES

— Very good acceleration and speed. Always a threat to go vertical.

— Great footwork and agility. Allows him to pace and snap off his routes exceptionally well for his size.

— Very good explosive ability. Can stop on a dime to adjust to the ball.

— Rare ball skills. Special ability to track and adjust to throws. Excels on the sideline and in traffic.

— Positional flexibility. Dominant outside, but can play in the slot as well.

NEGATIVES

— A little skinny for his frame. Occasionally has issues battling through press.

— Average YAC threat. Often goes down on first contact because of his frame.

2023 STATISTICS

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NOTES

— Born August 11, 2002

— 4-star recruit in 2021, per 247Sports

— Two-year starter

— 2022 unanimous All-American

— Son of Hall of Fame WR Marvin Harrison

OVERALL

Marvin Harrison Jr. makes wide receiver play look like an art form.

Harrison is an exceptional mover for 6’4″ and 205 pounds. While he can play a little high at times, Harrison plays with rare foot speed and agility for a player his size. He can throttle route speeds with ease and snaps off all of his routes in an instant. He’s a smart, controlled route-runner with the perfect athletic tools to maximize those traits.

Harrison has real-deal speed, too. He’s at his best on vertical routes. Harrison flies off the line of scrimmage and threatens DBs right away, often using his hands and movement skills to effortlessly stack them down the sideline. Go balls, comebacks, deep stop routes and digs are some of Harrison’s best routes because they let him use his speed as a threat.

Above all, Harrison has truly exceptional ball skills. It’s as if time slows down for Harrison when the ball is on its way. Harrison has a way of seeing the ball in cleanly every time and extending his long arms to pluck it from the air as soon as he can. He generally has the strength to hang onto passes through contact, too.

Harrison also has special spatial awareness when it comes to playing the ball. The way Harrison works the sideline is rare. He always finds ways to keep himself in position to stay in bounds without sacrificing his ability to attack the ball. Harrison is a true “he’s open even when he’s not” type of player.

The only drawbacks with Harrison are mostly related to frame. He’s on the skinnier side of things for a player as tall as he is. Though adept at hand-fighting and bursting through press coverages, sometimes skilled press corners can keep him locked up.

Additionally, Harrison’s frame makes him easy to bring down on first contact. He can still make people miss in space on occasion and he has home run speed in the open field, but he’s not going to be bullying DBs for extra yards very often.

Harrison is a slam-dunk prospect. He is a twitched-up athlete with polished route-running ability and elite ball skills. It’s so easy to see how his game translates right away. Harrison would be an instant No. 1 WR for most offenses.