Marvin Harrison Jr. entered the NFL with lofty expectations. He has so far fallen short of them as a No. 4 pick.
Maserati Marv has been tagged with four drops. Sometimes, he’s looked out of sync with quarterback Kyler Murray.
Harrison has preached process over statistics, and improving his game speed has been a topic of improvement. He wants to play fast and admitted he’s sped up over the first few weeks of his NFL career.
But outright speed combined with a 6-foot-3 frame and a tactician’s mindset is what will be Harrison’s identity. Sunday in a 28-27 win against the Miami Dolphins, his namesake given by FOX play-by-play great Gus Johnson popped off the screen again.
Maserati Marv was making plays.
MHJ broke 20 MPH but Jalen Ramsey hit a top speed of 22.62 MPH trying to run him down. 2nd-fastest top speed by any player this season, per @NextGenStats. https://t.co/DG2vCilndY
— Nate Tice (@Nate_Tice) October 27, 2024
Harrison crossed the 20-mph line at 20.58 mph with a 22-yard diving touchdown reception in the back of the end zone.
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Maybe more impressively, Harrison’s breakout led to Dolphins cornerback Jalen Ramsey’s attempt to run him down. Ramsey topped out at 22.62 mph in a failed effort, which is apparently the second-fastest speed for any player this season so far.
It’s that combination of speed and footwork on the move that made Harrison a top-tier prospect. The pace of Harrison’s route tree is what will set him apart.
It showed before Sunday despite the production sitting at 300 yards through the first seven games of the year — or just 170 yards over 27 quarters of play if you take out his 130-yard first quarter in Week 2 against the Los Angeles Rams. Harrison hit a top speed above 20 mph on a 60-yard touchdown reception that came thanks to a Rams breakdown in that week.
In Week 3, he accelerated into 20-plus mph working across the field on a 10-yard touchdown against the Detroit Lions.
It was a similar concept to the touchdown against the Dolphins, with the Cardinals letting Harrison run an over across the middle not only to hopefully lose defenders in traffic but also to give him an extended runway to get up to speed and give Murray space to place the ball.
Marvin Harrison Jr. runs at 20.03 MPH on this 10-yard Touchdown. Per Next Gen Stats pic.twitter.com/MIbyDkfxea
— Bruce Matson (@MetricScout) September 23, 2024
The key on all these is that he’s hitting top gear inside the red zone or just outside of it.
It’s not just sending him on go-routes to stretch the defense, though the attention he’s drawing from multiple players is already helping soften the middle of coverages for the likes of Trey McBride and other teammates.
If his confidence can build from a three-catch fourth quarter that set up a touchdown and a game-winning field goal against the Dolphins on Sunday, then he’ll be more than fine for Arizona.
In terms of baby steps, maybe the most important thing is Harrison’s identity as a productive receiver at Ohio State is translating. He will not be accused of being Mazda Marv or Mitsubishi Marv.