Marvin Harrison Jr. Draft projection: Where will the Ohio State WR land? Draft stock explored
Marvin Harrison Jr., son of Indianapolis Colts legend Marvin Harrison, had to be taken off the field during the second half of Saturday's encounter against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Harrison Jr. was hit by Irish safety Xavier Watts, who was attempting to block Buckeyes running back TeVeyon Henderson, who scored a touchdown in a 61-yard run in the same play.
While he did return to the field, his game was hampered by the incident and he was only able to record 32 receiving yards in three catches.
Marvin Harrison Jr. Draft projection
Many experts consider Harrison Jr. the top prospect for the potential 2024 NFL draft. The OSU WR is expected to be drafted in the first round, and will likely become a top-10 pick if any team is looking for a wide receiver.
Harrison Jr. is in his third season with Ohio State and was a four-star recruit, according to both Rivals.com and 247Sports. In 2022, he had his breakthrough year, earning Unanimous All-American and First Team All-Big Ten Honors, alongside the Richter-Howard Receiver of the Year Award. Last season, he had a career-high 1263 yards with 14 touchdown receptions in 77 receptions.
While players like USC's Caleb Williams and North Carolina's Drake Maye are sure to go higher, given the natural upsell point on signal callers, experts are sure that Harrison is the most naturally gifted player in the potential draft class.
While it is impossible to know where exactly in the first round he will go, given that it is very early in the NFL season to know the draft order, we can confidently say that the first team in the market for a WR will select him.
Marvin Harrison Jr. Father: Marvin Harrison
Harrison Jr.'s father is Pro Football Hall of Famer Marvin Harrison. Harrison Sr. played for the Indianapolis Colts between 1996 and 2008. He was one of the favorite targets of Peyton Manning in an era in which the Colts dominated the AFC.
He won the Super Bowl XLI, was a three-times First-Team All-Pro, five times Second Team All-Pro, eight times Pro Bowler, twice the NFL Receptions Leader and NFL Receiving Yards Leader, and once the NFL's Receiving Touchdowns Leader. In his career, he had 14,580 receiving yards with 128 touchdowns.
After retiring, he joined the Indianapolis Colts Ring of Honor and the Pro Football Hall of Fame.