DETROIT — Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. has arrived at the 2024 NFL Draft as a mystery prospect of sorts, even though he’s the son of a Pro Football Hall of Fame receiver and was the best pass catcher on one of college football’s best programs the past two years.
The 6-foot-3, 209-pound Harrison Jr., who doesn’t have an agent representing him as he gets set to enter the league, has handled the pre-draft process in a different way than many other prospects, opting not to work out at the NFL Scouting Combine — or even participate in media interviews there. He also didn’t work out at Ohio State’s pro day.
But Harrison Jr. will be at Thursday’s draft festivities, prepared to hear his name early in the night — possibly somewhere in the first five selections. Speaking at the NFL’s “Play Football” pre-draft event along with the Special Olympics on Wednesday, Harrison Jr. said he wasn’t going to miss his chance to hear his name called in person as a first-round selection.
“It’s a lifetime opportunity,” he said. “You only get to walk across the stage and shake the commissioner’s hand, so take the opportunity.”
A lot of his achievements speak for themselves. In three years with the Buckeyes, Harrison Jr. caught 155 passes for 2,613 yards (16.9-yard average) and 32 total touchdowns. The past two seasons, he surpassed the 1,200-yard plateau and caught 14 TDs each season.
Will his pre-draft strategy of not working out and testing athletically pay off? Harrison Jr. said he didn’t take his approach to punt on most of the workouts because he was confident he’d go in the top handful of selections.
“That’s not why I decided to not do anything, because I was confident where I was going,” Harrison Jr. told NFL Media. “You know, whatever happens, whoever drafts me, I think they’ve done their research, and I’ve talked to them. They understand where my health is, and they know my skills and my skill set.”
What was the reason then? It had a lot to do with his father, former Colts great Marvin Harrison, who has helped guide his son in lieu of having an agent navigate the pre-draft process for him.
“Just talking to my dad, we decided what’s best for us: to prepare for the NFL season, not prepare for the combine or pro day or anything like that,” Harrison Jr. said. “So, take our time to do our due diligence. Also resting after the season, getting your body right.
“I’m training to play football, so that’s what we’ve got to do at the end of the day. So we trained to play football instead.”
Harrison Jr. said his father’s best advice on how to handle business was to keep being the same person he’s always been.
“He told me, ‘Just be yourself,'” Harrison Jr. said. “When you meet a team, the coaches and GMs, just be yourself. They’re trying to get a feel for who you are. So it’s especially good for yourself and them.”
Harrison Jr. said he’s waiting, just like the rest of us, to find out where he’ll be picked. He doesn’t know if it will be at No. 4 overall to the Arizona Cardinals, No. 5 to the Los Angeles Chargers or to another team. He said he’s just happy to be on the doorstep of his NFL dreams.
“Whatever happens, happens,” Harrison Jr. said. “I’ll be grateful for whatever, however it works out.”
