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WR Marvin Harrison, Jr. (Silver Football, 2x Unanimous All-American, 2023 Biletnikoff winner, Heisman Finalist, Arizona Cardinals)

  • Emeka Egbuka and Marvin Harrison Jr., both members of Ohio State’s 2021 recruiting class who became star receivers for the Buckeyes and are now the top wide receivers for their respective NFL teams, exchanged jerseys after the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ 20-17 win over the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday. Egubka had four catches for 42 yards for the Buccaneers while Harrison had six catches for 69 yards for the Cardinals.



 
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Latest developments around Marvin Harrison Jr. might be just what the former Ohio State star needs for his NFL career

Arizona Cardinals and former Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. is back to full health with a new offensive role expected under new head coach Mike LaFleur to hopefully finally maximize his NFL potential.

Things are shaping up to change for the better for Harrison and the Cardinals’ offense now that he’s getting back to full health with a new offensive minded head coach in Mike LaFleur, who knows exactly how to utilize his top pass catcher.

Mike LaFleur looking to replicate a similar approach at WR with Marvin Harrison Jr. and Michael Wilson

LaFleur arrives to Arizona after spending the last two years in the NFC West as the offensive coordinator for the Los Angeles Rams under head coach Sean McVay. This will be a second chance for LaFleur to run an offense of his own and first opportunity to lead an entire team that’s eager to make some kind of forward progress.

While McVay was the mastermind behind the Rams’ offense, LaFleur played an integral role in the unit’s success, which featured two top wide receivers last season in Puka Nacua and Davante Adams. LaFleur plans to run a similar approach in Arizona with Harrison and Michael Wilson.

“With Marv, typically with the X-receiver – let’s just say Davante Adams last year in LA or Julio Jones in Atlanta Falcons – those typical X-guys, they’re not necessarily next to the core very often in terms of playing in between the tight ends and in between the tackles,” LaFleur said. “You look at more a Z-receiver, a Mike Wilson, who’s a little more compact of a guy, those guys are a little more comfortable playing [inside]. You think of Puka Nacua.”

Coming out of the draft, Harrison was compared closely to big-bodied X-receivers such as Julio and AJ Green. He doesn’t have the same release and footwork that makes Adams so dangerous, but the size is comparable between the two. And it’s not just using Harrison on the outside as a traditional X-receiver, LaFleur has other plans for Harrison as well.

“His profile would be that of a typical X-receiver. Just kind of that lengthier body that can play on the outside,” LaFleur explained. “But, what’s unique about this system is you can move them inside and outside on a whim. Just in terms of our formations, our motions, all that kind of stuff. You can utilize your skill sets in different ways. So, (Harrison) is our X-receiver, but you can move him around so that sometimes he is, sometimes he’s not.”
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