The Arizona Cardinals have a promising new wideout, and the news from OTAs is that he is meeting the team's high expectations. Marvin Harrison Jr. is impressing his new teammates and coaches with his play this spring.

Harrison Jr. was the topic of conversation on the NFL Network show The Insiders. Arizona is very pleased with their first-round 2024 NFL Draft pick, the commentators said.

“The early returns from the Cardinals are Marvin Harrison is going to be awesome, and I can say that with all the confidence, he has been very, very good,” NFL Network reporter Ian Rapoport said on the show.

Harrison's work ethic is one of the reasons why the team is so pleased. Harrison has held nothing back in activities, and is playing with ultimate effort, according to his coaches.

“He does a lot extra, probably too much, I’m going to be fighting him about that,” Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon said, per NBC Sports.

Arizona's first round pick

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Marvin Harrison Jr.
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Harrison Jr. was taken as the fourth overall selection in this year's draft. He was the first player drafted that wasn't a quarterback. The Cardinals are throwing a lot at Harrison right away. The team has struggled in recent years and is one of the more unsuccessful franchises in the NFL. The franchise needs a breakout player that can help the team excel.

Arizona hopes Harrison will be that breakout player. The team already has quarterback Kyler Murray, and the two young stars will hopefully have a lot of chemistry. These two players may be the team's most promising weapons on offense. Murray has spent a great deal of time injured in his tenure with the Cardinals. Arizona coaches are trying to make sure that neither player gets hurt this year. Coach Gannon says the team is working with Harrison to slow him down when needed.

“If we’re spaced out how many reps and the amount of workload he gets, and then he goes and runs 100 routes on the weekend, he might be dragging today. Now, he doesn’t drag, but I’m just talking about, I love extra work, but you’ve got to be smart about it. You’ve got to have a routine about what you’re doing,” Gannon added.

In college, Harrison was a stellar player for Ohio State football. He was a Heisman Trophy finalist in the 2023 season, after finishing the year with 67 receptions for 1,211 yards. He also scored 14 receiving touchdowns. Harrison is the son of former Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Marvin Harrison.

The Cardinals finished the 2023 season with a 4-13 record. The team is hoping Harrison will lead the club to the NFC playoffs, for the first time since the 2021 season. The Cardinals are one of a handful of teams that have never won a Super Bowl. The franchise's two championships came before the AFL-NFL merger.