For what seems like the better part of two years now, it's been said that the No. 1 wide receiver in the 2024 NFL Draft class was going to be Ohio State's Marvin Harrison Jr. But LSU's Malik Nabers is doing everything possible to make sure that's not the case.
Outside of this being one of the heaviest quarterback classes in recent memory, it's also a strong wide receiver class as well. Not only do you have Harrison and Nabers, but also Brian Thomas Jr., Nabers' teammate at LSU, and Rome Odunze out of Washington. But as of late, the biggest debate may be between Harrison Jr. and Nabers.
Marvin Harrison Jr. opts out of Pro Day, Nabers does not
Nabers followed suit with a lot of the potential first-round prospects and chose not to compete in the NFL Combine. Instead, he participated in LSU's pro day. In doing so, the 6-foot, 200-pound receiver may have definitely opened the eyes of NFL team scouts.
For his vertical jump, he hit 42 inches, which compared to NFL Combine numbers, would have put him tied for second among wide receivers that competed. In the broad jump, he reached 10 feet, nine inches, which would have been sixth-best among wide receivers. Finally, in his 40-yard dash, Nabers ran a 4.35, which would have put him fifth in the NFL Combine among receivers.
“There are some NFL personnel men who believe Malik Nabers is this draft class’ top wideout,” ESPN's Adam Schefter stated on his X account.
Harrison chose not to compete in either the combine or Ohio State's pro day. And that's because it seems like he didn't need to. SI's Albert Breer reported that the former Buckeyes receiver met with nine teams at the combine and asked all of them if they needed to see anything else out of him, speaking specifically of Ohio State's Pro Day. Each team told him no; therefore, Harrison opted out.
Could this affect which receiver goes first? Anything is possible, but it seems unlikely.
Marvin Harrison Jr. gets drafted first because it's been expected for so long
Any team that selects either Harrison or Nabers should be getting a stud and an automatic upgrade to their wide receiver room. So, in a sense, you're almost splitting hairs; therefore, whoever has to “settle” for the other is still winning the day with their first-round pick. But at this point, Harrison still seems like the favorite.
While what Nabers did at LSU's Pro Day is impressive and noteworthy to help improve his draft stock, you could say it was just as wise for Harrison to not participate in Ohio State's. There was no need for Harrison to risk potential injury or perhaps impact his draft stock negatively by competing. But also, if almost a third of the league told him they didn't need to see anything else from him, then that's pretty telling of how highly he's viewed amongst teams already. Whether that's partly due to his lineage or recent history of Ohio State wide receivers, it is what it is.
The only unfortunate side of this is that Harrison has been the expectation to be the No. 1 receiver for so long that NFL teams may fear being frowned upon, scrutinized, if they don't select him first. It would be easy to believe owners, general managers, and coaches easily fall prey to expectations and media hype over a player. Therefore, a shun of a highly touted player over another could turn into immense ridicule, while also causing the collapse of many people's careers if it doesn't work out.
Again, in this case, it's unlikely any team will be drafting a bust of a player by picking either Harrison or Nabers, but because Harrison is the expected first receiver to be taken off the board, that's likely not to change.
Follow Us
Subscribe