Marvin Harrison Jr. was heralded by the NFL as a can’t-miss prospect: the prototype of a high-end NFL receiver with all the tools to make an immediate impact for the Arizona Cardinals.
His NFL debut on Sunday came with a bang. Quarterback Kyler Murray targeted Harrison three times during Sunday’s 34-28 loss to the Buffalo Bills. Harrison caught one of those targets for four yards.
It was a disappointing debut, to say the least, for the fourth-overall pick in April’s NFL draft, who was considered by many to be the best player in his draft class.
On Tuesday, Cardinals offensive coordinator Drew Petzing acknowledged that the Cardinals can do better when it comes to getting Harrison the ball.
“He’s definitely at the forefront of our minds when it comes to getting the ball,” Petzing said, according to the Cardinals’ website. “I think [the Bills] I did a number of things to get him away, and of course I could have thought of some actions to get him more involved in the beginning, but I thought it was a good start.
“We still have some work to do.”
There is indeed still some work to be done.
Harrison is 6’1″ and 185 pounds. He runs sharp routes and has elite speed, hands and athleticism. He’s a potential game-breaker on any deep route he runs, which was nearly impossible to cover in his two seasons as a starter at Ohio State.
Of course, Harrison never saw the Bills’ defense fall flat in the Big Ten. Few rookie playmakers thrive on their first look at a real, live NFL defense. Harrison wasn’t one of them. And that’s okay.
But the Cardinals now have the task of figuring out what went wrong on Sunday. There isn’t a pass-catcher on Arizona’s roster who comes close to Harrison’s combination of size, skill and athleticism. Greg Dortch, Michael Wilson and Zach Pascal aren’t on Harrison’s level.
Harrison would and likely will emerge as Murray’s undisputed top wide receiver target. Now it’s up to the Cardinals to figure out what that looks like
Petzing said “the plan” is to give Harrison more targets – and that the job is his, not Murray’s.
“One of the things I try to emphasize to Kyler is that it’s not his job to give the ball to certain people or worry about how a player is doing in the flow of the game,” Petzing said. “I have to do that with the way I call the play, and he has to make the best decision based on the look, the coverage, how the routes are being run.”
The Cardinals face the Los Angeles Rams in Week 2. It’s a safe bet Harrison will see more than three targets on Sunday.
