After making only one catch in a disappointing NFL debut, Arizona Cardinals rookie receive Marvin Harrison Jr. showed Sunday why he was one of the top draft prospects in the 2024 class.
Harrison, the fourth pick in last April’s draft, caught four passes for 130 yards and two touchdowns in the first half against the Los Angeles Rams, helping Arizona to a 24-3 halftime lead.
Harrison’s second game got off to a fast start. Kyler Murray fed him for a 23-yard catch-and-run touchdown at 11:03 in the first quarter, opening the scoring. With 8:47 left in the first quarter, Murray found Harrison for a 60-yard touchdown, Harrison’s second catch of the game.
MARVIN HARRISON JR. AGAIN!
📺: #LARvsAZ on FOX
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/HhxHcm3knr— NFL (@NFL) September 15, 2024
Harrison showcased his speed in both of his first-down touchdown receptions. Per NFL Next Gen Stats, Harrison’s max speed on his first touchdown catch was 18 mph. His second touchdown reception had a max speed of 20.03 mph, according to NFL Next Gen Stats. Both of those speeds were faster than Harrison’s max speed in all of Week 1, which was 16.7 mph.
It was an arrival to the NFL moment for Harrison, who entered the league with high expectations. Harrison, the son of Hall of Famer Marvin Harrison Sr., was a unanimous two-time All-American and first-team All-Big Ten performer at Ohio State.
Harrison only had one catch for 4 yards in the team’s Week 1 loss to the Buffalo Bills and appeared frustrated afterward.
“I mean, obviously it wasn’t great,” Harrison said Wednesday. “Definitely wasn’t what I expected, what I wanted to happen, what the team wanted to happen. Obviously, you wanted to come out with a victory and we didn’t do that.”
Is Harrison’s slow start already behind him?
Harrison’s Week 1 performance was a topic around the NFL. It wasn’t just the one catch for 4 yards. It wasn’t even the dropped pass. It was that the Cardinals did so little to get him involved. Harrison was targeted only three times. No rookie is expected to dominate in his first start, but more was expected from Harrison. More was needed.
Consider this addressed. Against the Rams, Murray threw incomplete to Harrison on Arizona’s first play. Then he hit him for completions of 23, 60 and 32 yards. (He was targeted six times.) Harrison’s big-play ability — something Arizona lacked last season — changes this offense. As Murray and Harrison continue to build chemistry, this should only get better. — Doug Haller, Arizona senior writer
(Photo: Christian Petersen / Getty Images)
