With his success and ability displayed at the college level, receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. elected to skip several parts of the pre-draft process.
It clearly did not affect how teams viewed Harrison and his talent, as Arizona selected him at No. 4 overall — the first non-quarterback to come off the board.
In an interview with SiriusXM NFL Radio, General Manager Monti Ossenfort explained why the Cardinals felt they had enough information to feel comfortable picking Harrison.
“Yeah, I’d say with Marvin, a unique case. He made the decisions that he made to approach the draft process like he did,” Ossenfort said. “But you’re right, we did get a good look at him working out — we had that tape from last year when he ran routes at C.J. Stroud’s Pro Day, so we did check that box. And I think there’s a number of prospects in every draft that don’t check off every box — whether it’s for a medical reason or a personal choice, whatever it is, they may not complete a workout or they may not do everything like everybody else does. So, it wasn’t the first time that we’ve had to complete an evaluation on a player without every box filled and it’s certainly not going to be the last.
“But we felt very strongly about our evaluation of Marvin off the tape, off of last year’s Pro Day. And then what really sealed it for us was when Marvin came in for a [top] 30 visit and we got to spend an entire day with him and just really find out who the person was, what made him tick, and just the way he approached his job. So, you know, we had plenty to evaluate Marvin on and certainly more than enough to pull his card off the board at No. 4.”
Harrison caught 155 passes for 2,613 yards with 31 touchdowns in three seasons at Ohio State. In 2023, he recorded 67 receptions for 1,211 yards with 14 TDs in 12 games.
The Cardinals will decline the fifth-year option on outside linebacker Zaven Collins’ contract, General Manager Monti Ossenfort told Arizona Sports on Tuesday.
The move is not a surprise considering it would have guaranteed Collins $13.2 million.
“We’ve talked a lot about it here the last couple weeks. We’re not going to pick up the fifth-year option on Zaven,” Ossenfort told Arizona Sports. “We’ve had discussions with Zaven. We’re extremely happy with where he’s at and the versatility that he brings to the defense. We want to keep Zaven around here, it’s just the fifth-year option removes some flexibility in terms of the cap that comes along.
“We’re going to have some discussions here as we go. Love Zaven; love where he’s at; love what he brings to our defense, and hopefully we can keep him around here for a long time.”
Collins now is scheduled for free agency after this season.
The Cardinals drafted him 16th overall in 2021, and he began his NFL career at inside linebacker before the new regime moved him outside in 2023.
Collins totaled 3.5 sacks, six tackles for loss, an interception, three passes defensed and six quarterback hits in 17 games last season.
Receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. was the first non-quarterback drafted last week. No matter who had the fourth overall pick, that likely was going to be the case.
Harrison goes to the Cardinals, where he soon begins learning offensive coordinator Drew Petzing’s offense and developing chemistry with quarterback Kyler Murray.
“We’ve got to get out on the practice field and watch him move around and see what he does well, and make sure we’re trying to utilize the best of his abilities to operate our offense at a high level,” Petzing said Tuesday, via Jose Romero of the Arizona Republic. “I don’t think that’s going to change with him as with anyone else that walks into the building.”
Harrison caught 144 passes for 2,474 yards and 28 touchdowns the past two seasons at Ohio State, but Petzing said Harrison will have to earn his role, whatever that role is, regardless how good his resume looks.
“In my opinion, he has to be like everyone else if he’s going to be the best version of himself,” Petzing said. “The way that he comes in and approaches his job, the way that he goes out there and practices, the way that he integrates himself into the team, if he’s going to be the best version of himself, I think those are the things he has to focus on. And that’s certainly what we’re going to emphasize.”
That all sounds good, but the Cardinals have no other real option as WR1, so it’s Harrison or bust.
The Cardinals announced a handful of roster moves on Monday and they continued tweaking things on Tuesday.
Darren Urban of the team’s website reports that the team has waived cornerback Quavian White and wide receiver Kaden Davis.
White signed with the Cardinals after going undrafted last year. He spent the season on the practice squad, but the Cardinals drafted Max Melton, Elijah Jones, and Jaden Davis to flesh out this year’s contenders for spots in the secondary.
Davis was undrafted in 2022 and spent time with the Broncos and in the USFL before joining the Arizona practice squad last year. The Cardinals kicked off their draft by selecting Marvin Harrison Jr. and they added another wideout when they took Tejhuan Palmer in the sixth round.
The Cardinals had a big draft class and that didn’t leave much room for undrafted free agent signings.
The team announced three signings on Monday to go with the 12 rookies they added over seven rounds of the draft. They are Colorado wide receiver Xavier Weaver, North Carolina defensive lineman Myles Murphy, and North Carolina State long snapper Joe Shimko.
Weaver led Deion Sanders’ team with 68 catches for 908 yards last season and Murphy had 17 sacks over four years in Chapel Hill. Shimko won the Patrick Mannelly Award as the nation’s top long snapper for the 2023 season.
In addition to the signings, the Cardinals also announced that they have released long snapper Matt Hembrough. Hembrough spent all of last season on injured reserve.
The Falcons traded up in round two, from No. 43 to No. 35. Fortunately, they didn’t draft another quarterback.
Instead, they added Clemson defensive tackle Ruke Ohrhorhro, after doing a deal with the Cardinals.
The Falcons added pick No. 79 to pick No. 43 for No. 35 and No. 186.
It gives the Falcons some help on defense, especially with Grady Jarrett getting closer to the end of the line.
The move will do little to get fans to feel better about Thursday’s stunning decision to take Michael Penix Jr. with the eighth overall pick. No matter how hard media members employed by the Falcons and/or the NFL try to make it make sense, it does not.
In the days leading up to Thursday’s first round, the Cardinals were a team many thought could trade down with the No. 4 overall pick.
But when receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. was available at that spot, Arizona wasn’t going to move.
“I think, really, we were prepared to pick and we were prepared to pick Marvin at four,” General Manager Monti Ossenfort said in his press conference after the first round. “Really there was no trade that came that was going to get us off that pick. If somebody would’ve [come] and offered us something that would’ve been the best thing for the team, we certainly would’ve done it. Ultimately, we felt the best tonight about sticking with Marvin at number four.”
Aside from Harrison’s strong play at Ohio State, Ossenfort added that he was impressed by the “overall focus” Harrison displayed during his pre-draft visit with the club.
“When that day concluded I felt pretty convicted about who Marvin was,” Ossenfort said. “I was already convicted about who Marvin was as a player. After that day, [I was] convicted of who he was as a person. To me, that was a big day for me just as we went through the process of figuring out who we were going to pick at No. 4.
“Really, it just goes back to the way he handled himself, the way he conducted himself, and the way he had prepared at Ohio State. Really, it was the full package. That day was huge for us and really huge for me personally in just getting to spend that time with him and him getting that time with the rest of our staff.”
In 38 games as a Buckeye, Harrison caught 155 passes for 2,613 yards with 31 touchdowns.
The Cardinals have made their second selection of the first round and this time they’ve gone with a defensive player.
At No. 27 overall, Arizona has picked former Missouri defensive end Darius Robinson.
Robinson, 22, dealt with injuries in 2020 and 2021. But he appeared in 13 games with 10 starts in 2022. He then started 12 games in 2023, registering 8.5 sacks with 14.0 tackles for loss.
He was a first-team All-SEC selection in 2023, leading Mizzou in both sacks and tackles for loss.
In 47 collegiate games, Robinson recorded 21.0 tackles for loss and 13.0 sacks.
The first non-quarterback went to the Cardinals at No. 4, giving Kyler Murray a new No. 1 receiver.
After the Bears selected quarterback Caleb Williams, the Commanders took quarterback Jayden Daniels and the Patriots picked quarterback Drake Maye, Arizona quickly sent in the name of Ohio State receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. at No. 4.
The selection was expected after Marquise Hollywood Brown departed in free agency, leaving Greg Dortch, Chris Moore, Michael Wilson and Zach Pascal as the top options in the wide receivers room.
Harrison, the son of Hall of Fame receiver Marvin Harrison, had -225 odds to be selected where he was. He is widely considered one of the top receiver prospects in any recent draft and one of the safest picks in this draft.
In three years at Ohio State, Harrison Jr. caught 155 passes for 2,613 yards and 32 total touchdowns.
The NFL desperately wants you to watch the draft on TV from the moment it begins. This year, you don’t really need to show up before 8:30 p.m. ET, if that early.
Barring an unexpected turn for the ages, Caleb Williams will be the first overall pick. Jayden Daniels will be the second pick, with a lingering possibility that the Commanders will trade out of the spot. Drake Maye will be the third overall pick; the Patriots are likely to take him, but the Giants and Vikings are in play. Marvin Harrison Jr. will be the fourth overall pick. It’s theoretically possible but unlikely that the Colts will try to jump from No. 15 to No. 4 to get him.
With those caveats, the draft begins at No. 5. Or, in real time, at roughly 9:00 p.m. ET.
Whenever you choose to dial in, we’ll be accompanying the process by posting items about each of the selections. I’ll be taping reactions to many of the picks from the PFT barn tonight.
What we won’t be doing — contrary to the beliefs of some in the media who should know better — is tipping the picks. We never tip the picks. We made that decision years ago. Not because the NFL twists the arms of its broadcast partners to comply (it absolutely does), but because we decided that the audience doesn’t want it.
So, yes, watch the draft on TV. We won’t spoil it for you. But we will enhance your enjoyment of the evening. Especially since (unlike the suits on network TV), folks like Chris Simms and I will be enjoying a legal beverage or agricultural product. Which definitely will enhance our enjoyment of the evening.