What's the worst quality a wide receiver can have in the NFL? There are many answers to this question, but the one thing that an NFL receiver doesn't want to be known for is dropping passes. Unfortunately, Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. seems to be developing this reputation.
Last season, Harrison was solid in his rookie year, but struggled with drops all season long. While many doubted his talent after being drafted so highly, his struggles were attributed to being a rookie in the NFL. After starting strong in 2025, there was hope that Harrison had finally figured out the source of his struggles. Unfortunately, he's been struggling in the Cardinals' last two games.
The Cardinals' 16-15 loss was partly on Harrison's struggles to be a consistent pass-catcher. Despite being targeted six times by Kyler Murray, the wide receiver only hauled in three passes for 44 yards. His most brutal drop was during the third quarter. Murray found Harrison wide open on a crossing route, but the wide receiver dropped the pass trying to make a play way too early.
No one was more frustrated about the play than Harrison Jr himself, who said that he needed to be better.
“I think I know what I’m capable of, and to go out there and not play nowhere near to the best of my abilities, it’s frustrating,’’ an emotional Harrison told reporters after the game, per The Athletic's Doug Haller. “It hurts the team, and I got to get better.”
Harrison Jr was one of the most highly touted prospects in the 2024 NFL draft. The Cardinals drafted him with the fourth overall pick in an effort to give Murray more weapons. While Harrison has shown flashes of elite talent, it's come sporadically in between long bouts of mediocre to dismal play. After a big game in Week 1 where he caught five passes for 71 yards and a touchdown, he's totaled the same amount in the next two games. That inconsistency is what you don't want to see from a top wide receiver.
With James Conner out for the year, the Cardinals' wide receivers need to step up more to help out backup Trey Benson. Next up for Arizona is a matchup against division rivals, the Seattle Seahawks.
