Consensus among January mock drafts about Marvin Harrison Jr.'s NFL landing spot

COLUMBUS — Marvin Harrison Jr. was honored near the end of the first half of the Ohio State men’s basketball game against Penn State last weekend. Then he was court side for the women’s game against then-No. 2 Iowa and Caitlin Clark the following day.

Harrison is still a superstar at Ohio State.

In a few months, he’ll be front and center on a much bigger stage in Detroit’s Campus Martius Park and Hart Plaza, where he’ll hear his name called in this year’s NFL Draft.

There’s a chance he even becomes the first wideout taken in the top-three picks since Pro Football Hall of Famer Calvin Johnson Jr. in 2007.

Harrison is a surefire top-five selection. That seemed to be the consensus even before he won the Biletnikoff Award and emerged as a Heisman Trophy finalist this past season.

There also seems to be a consensus among mock drafts about Harrison’s draft destination.

Lettermen Row rounded up the most notable mock drafts that came out this week, all of which have Harrison going to the Arizona Cardinals with the No. 4 overall pick.

So…why the Cardinals?

At this point, quarterbacks are widely considered the top-three picks in this year’s draft. ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. and Co. don’t think the Chicago Bears will pass on the draft’s QB1 for the second year in a row. He has the Bears taking USC phenom Caleb Williams. Kiper is mocking LSU’s Jayden Daniels — this past season’s Heisman Trophy winner — to the Washington Commanders at No. 2 overall and UNC’s Drake Maye to the New England Patriots at No. 3 overall. Others have Maye to the Commanders and Daniels to the Patriots.

Either way, that leaves Harrison to the Arizona Cardinals at the fourth spot. Unlike the three quarterback-needy teams ahead of them, the Cardinals have made it clear they have their franchise quarterback. They feel as if Kyler Murray — who made his return from the ACL tear he suffered in 2022 a bit more than halfway through the 2023 season — proved he can be the guy in desert.

Arizona has a lot of holes on both sides of the ball, but the receiver position has to be addressed immediately to give Murray a chance to succeed. The Cardinals did run for the fourth-most yards of any NFL team during the regular season, and they’ve been working on retooling their offensive line, hence why they picked former Ohio State offensive tackle Paris Johnson Jr. No. 6 overall last year.

The expectation, right now at least, is that Harrison will join Johnson in Arizona, where he’ll instantly be thrust into the spotlight, much like Larry Fitzgerald was when the Cardinals drafted him No. 3 overall from Pitt in 2004.

Although the Cardinals finished 4-13 in 2023, their four wins came against teams with seven or more wins: They beat the Dallas Cowboys (12-5), Atlanta Falcons (7-10), Pittsburgh Steelers (10-7) and Philadelphia Eagles (11-6). First-year head coach Jonathan Gannon exceeded expectations with a work-in-progress roster, as Arizona was competitive in most of its games, five of which it lost by only one score.

Here’s what Kiper and other draft experts had to say about Harrison and his projected landing spot.

ESPN (Mel Kiper Jr.): No. 4 overall, Arizona Cardinals

“Harrison is one of the best receiver prospects of the past decade, a 6-foot-4 speedster who can run every route and break tackles after the catch. In Arizona, where Marquise Brown is a free agent, he could step into the No. 1 role as a rookie. He has all the tools to win Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2024. The Cardinals also own the Texans’ first-rounder in this draft, thanks to last year’s trade during Round 1, and they could look to the defense or offensive line there.”

Mel Kiper Jr., ESPN

FULL ESPN MOCK DRAFT HERE

NFL.com (Bucky Brooks): No. 4 overall, Arizona Cardinals

“The Cardinals add a Larry Fitzgerald-like playmaker to a lineup that desperately needs a No. 1 receiver on the perimeter. The Ohio State standout is a plug-and-play prospect with superstar potential.”

Bucky Brooks, NFL.com

FULL NFL.com MOCK DRAFT HERE

CBS Sports (Chris Trapasso): No. 4 overall, Arizona Cardinals

“The Cardinals are absolutely thrilled to land Harrison Jr. to give the receiver group a jolt for Kyler Murray. Until free agency starts — and trades inevitably happen — these first four selections feel as chalky as they can be as this stage of the pre-draft process.”

Chris Trapasso, CBS Sports

FULL CBS SPORTS MOCK DRAFT HERE

Draft Network (Brentley Weissman): No. 4 overall, Arizona Cardinals

“The best non-quarterback in this year’s class, Marvin Harrison Jr. projects as an instant WR1 for whichever NFL team is lucky enough to draft him. He has a unique blend of size, athleticism, and polish, which allow him to win in every way imaginable.”

Brentley Weissman, Draft Network

FULL DRAFT NETWORK MOCK DRAFT HERE