The Arizona Cardinals have been one of the worst teams in football throughout the past few seasons. But the bright side is that their 4-12 record in 2023 earned Arizona the fourth overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. The team used this premium draft capital to select Marvin Harrison Jr. out of Ohio State.
Harrison Jr. is another building block for the Cardinals offensively, along with quarterback Kyler Murray. The team expects these two players to form the foundation for a dynamic offense that will help turn the team around.
After shocking Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams with a 30-point victory, the Cardinals are well on their way to righting the ship and moving in the right direction.
Let’s take a closer look at why the Cardinals can shock the football world this season.
Quarterback Kyler Murray is blossoming into legitimate superstar
Kyler Murray is an elite dual-threat quarterback who has seemingly unlocked a new level to his game in the early going of the season. He’s doing a better job of protecting the ball and knowing when to go for the spectacular play versus when to take what the defense gives him.
He’s one of the best passers in the league with incredible arm talent who can make just about any throw on an NFL field. Murray has a cannon on his right shoulder and is capable of unleashing bombs down the field, and he can also put velocity on the ball when necessary.
He is still improving his accuracy, which is scary for defenders because he can only get better. However, he’s already shown flashes of the ability to layer passes between defenders. Like several of the game's brightest young stars at the quarterback position, Murray has a baseball background. He’s leveraged this experience to excel at making off-platform throws that frustrate defenses and create opportunities other quarterbacks would never have.
Cardinals' Marvin Harrison Jr. on fast track to elite tier of wide receivers
Harrison Jr. could be one of the best receivers in the NFL already, and he’s only played two professional games. His career got off to a slow start, and he was held catchless in his first game. Yet, even then he had a chance to make his presence felt and win the game.
At the end of the game, Harrison Jr. was wide open in the end zone for the game-winning touchdown, but Murray didn’t see him. That quickly changed in Week 2, as Murray looked for the young phenom early and often. The former Buckeye had more than 100 receiving yards and two touchdowns in the first quarter alone.
Harrison Jr. has all of the physical traits to be one of the best pass catchers in the league. He’s 6-foot-4 and tips the scales at 230 pounds of pure muscle. The former Ohio State Buckeyes star is blazing fast and also has elite route running ability. He gets into and out of his breaks with ease and is able to stop on a dime, or accelerate in the blink of an eye. This skill set helps Harrison Jr. create separation from the defender and get open.
However, he gets open in other ways as well, and stretches the definition of what open means. This is because Harrison Jr. is one of those players, who is always open, even when he isn’t. That's because he boasts a rare combination of height, strength, athleticism, and physicality, which gives him the edge in almost any jump ball situation.
If the defender is shorter, Murray can just throw it up and let Harrison go over the top to secure the catch at the high point. Likewise, if the defender isn’t as physical, Harrison Jr. can beat him at the catch point and outmuscle him to take the ball away. He’s also shown his propensity for acrobatic circus catches throughout his collegiate career, and there’s no reason to doubt his ability to continue making these kinds of plays at the highest level.
Harrison Jr. is also lethal after the catch. He uses his strength and physicality to break tackles, and once he gets into the open field, he has the speed to outrun anybody.
His speed was on full display in Week 2. For one of his touchdowns, he was able to get behind the defense, but needed to wait for the ball to arrive. Once he secured the catch, Maserati Marv was able to turn on the afterburners and outrun the defender to the end zone. For his other touchdown, he showed some of his trademark athleticism to get his feet down in the back of the end zone, but that was just the tip of the iceberg in terms of the acrobatic catches he can make.
“Like Father, Like Son” is the old saying, but Marvelous Marv is only going to continue to improve as he gains experience at the NFL level, and he has the potential to be even better than his dad was. The future is bright in Arizona, and the Cardinals could announce themselves on the brightest stage as early as this season by winning the NFC West.
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