Louis Riddick: Marvin Harrison Jr. is 'damn near' a can't-miss prospect

While most of the attention is on the quarterbacks ahead of the NFL Draft, there’s another intriguing prospect atop the mocks. Former Ohio State standout Marvin Harrison Jr. is widely seen as the top receiver on the board, which adds to the conversation as the pre-draft process gets underway.

Harrison had a monster year with the Buckeyes in 2023, and his skillset is part of the ongoing conversation about the No. 1 overall pick. The Chicago Bears hold that selection, but there’s a chance they trade the pick to continue building around Justin Fields.

If they do that, according to ESPN’s Louis Riddick, they could still have a chance at drafting Harrison. If they go too far back, though, they could find themselves unable to take a “can’t-miss” type of player. In fact, scouts have been excited for Harrison to be draft-eligible for a year now.

“When I went to see C.J. Stroud last year in Columbus for his pro day, as good as C.J. was, and as much as everybody loves C.J. Stroud — and rightfully so, because he was the best quarterback in that draft, and that was set by me before the draft — everyone there was watching Marvin Harrison Jr. that day,” Riddick said on ESPN 1000’s Waddle and Silvy in Chicago. “Because they were like, ‘Damn, look at this guy. Can he come out this year?’ … The dude is — I mean, I hate when we use the word ‘can’t miss’ because you can miss on anyone. But Marvin damn near is can’t-miss.

“I mean, I can’t wait to dig into this process and try and find the flaw with him. You don’t see any. Makeup, injury history, dependability, durability, skillset, route tree, hands, run after the catch, whatever. … He can do whatever you want.”

The crown jewels of this year’s draft are USC quarterback Caleb Williams and North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye. But Harrison is also one of the top prospects, coming in at No. 2 on ESPN analyst Mel Kiper’s latest Big Board last week.

However, it’s not likely the Bears take a wide receiver at No. 1. That said, Riddick predicted a wide receiver could go atop the board in the future. With the way the game is changing, it’s possible teams could take the right receiver with the top pick.

Nonetheless, even though he won’t be the first pick, Harrison is still someone worth taking with a high selection.

“There may come a time, wide receiver is going to be a No. 1 pick at some point in time in the future,” Riddick said. “Because I had a coach tell me this year, other than quarterback in today’s game with their ability to change the complexion of the game at a moment’s notice with the explosiveness they’re supposed to play with the wide receivers and create. A wide receiver will go to No. 1 before it’s all said and done.

“Marvin Harrison, right now, he may be one of the most lethal weapons to come out in the draft in a long, long, long time at wide receiver. So do you really want to pass that up? “