Ex NFL Coach Gets Honest on Cardinals WR Marvin Harrison Jr.

Arizona Cardinals WR Marvin Harrison Jr. has fallen short of expectations.
Dec 15, 2024; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. (18) against the New England Patriots at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Dec 15, 2024; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. (18) against the New England Patriots at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
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It's no secret that Arizona Cardinals rookie wideout Marvin Harrison Jr. hasn't exactly lived up to expectations in year one.

Such is life for the league's No. 4 overall pick in an offense that just can't seem to figure itself out.

Harrison by no means has been a massive disappointment, catching 51 passes for 726 yards and seven touchdowns through 15 games - though when a prospect labeled as generational comes through, more results are expected.

That's something Harrison himself touched on recently - you can read more about that here.

Former NFL coach Jay Gruden - when speaking with Underdog Fantasy - dropped the following thoughts on Harrison:

"Marvin Harrison by no means had a bad rookie season, but maybe not played as good as people have expected him to. I know he's a rookie and there's a lot of learning he has to do, but at the end of the day I expected him to have about 10-15 touchdowns. Using his length, his leaping ability, I just haven't seen a whole lot of that," Gruden said.

"I've seen a lot of drops, a lot of leaking out of his routes. No suddenness to his in and out of cuts. Now he's still a very good receiver, don't get me wrong, but I just expected a dominating type kid that can rub by people, catch the ball and run through a catch every now and then, stiff arm somebody - you just don't see that.

"You see catch and fall down out of bounds, maybe a back of the end zone shot and that's about it. I think he's got a long way to go but I still think he's got the ability to become a very good football player. Quite honestly I've just been disappointed."


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Donnie Druin
DONNIE DRUIN

Donnie Druin is the Publisher for All Cardinals and Inside The Suns. Donnie moved to Arizona in 2012 and has been with Fan Nation since 2018. In college he won "Best Sports Column" in the state of Arizona for his section and has previously provided coverage for the Pittsburgh Steelers and Arizona State Sun Devils. Follow Donnie on Twitter @DonnieDruin for more news, updates, analysis and more!