Cardinals WR Marvin Harrison Jr. as good as advertised: ‘He’s a freak of nature’

Eric Williams

NFC West Writer

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Second-year Cardinals receiver Michael Wilson is getting a daily, up-close view of the top receiver in this year’s draft class. Understandably, Wilson is taking every opportunity to compare notes and glean whatever he can from Marvin Harrison Jr.

“I’ve never been around a receiver that’s a bona fide first-rounder,” Wilson told FOX Sports. “So it’s been cool for me to be around him. Like, what does a fourth-overall pick as a receiver look like? And he looks like every part of that.

“You know he’s a freak of nature. You know he can catch the football. You know he’s got good routes. He doesn’t have any weaknesses.”

During a training camp practice last weekend, Harrison easily created separation early during one-on-ones on a stop route, quickly working back to the football and showing suction cups for hands while bringing it in.

At 6-foot-4 and 205 pounds with game-breaking speed, Harrison is expected to be a problem for defenses on game days. But it’s his professional approach to his craft, taught by his father, Hall of Fame receiver Marvin Harrison Sr., that has folks within the Cardinals organization so excited.

“You don’t have to push him to work, to study, to prepare,” said offensive coordinator Drew Petzing. “That’s part of who he is and who he’s always been. I think that was the exciting part of getting him in the building. If you watch him go through his day — in pre-practice, during practice, post-practice and in the meeting room — it’s like he’s been here for years from a pro standpoint and how he approaches the job.

“It’s him just continuing to improve, making sure we’re building the scheme to give him a chance to do his thing at a high level. And tie that into what everyone does around him well.”

Case in point: Even though Harrison finished his Ohio State career with 2,613 receiving yards and 31 touchdowns and won the Biletnikoff Award, Harrison said he’s not concerned with putting up gaudy numbers as a rookie.

He just wants to help the Cardinals win games.

“Whatever my goals may be, I always try and put the team ahead of me,” Harrison said. “They brought me here to win, so obviously that’s my No. 1 goal is to win, to help this team win football games.”

That said, Anquan Boldin was the last Cardinals rookie to top 1,000 receiving yards, with 1,377 in 2003. Los Angeles Rams WR Puka Nacua broke the NFL rookie record for receiving yards last season with 1,486.

Larry Fitzgerald had just 780 receiving yards in his rookie season in 2004 but went on to produce a Hall of Fame-worthy career. With Harrison expected to make an immediate impact on the offense, the bar has been set high for what he can accomplish in Petzing’s offense.

Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray continued his effort to build chemistry with his teammates by taking them to Los Angeles for a week this summer. The group stayed in a Bel-Air mansion, trained at UCLA and ate food prepared by a chef hired by Murray, who paid for the entire trip.

“They’re a little more skilled in areas outside football than me,” Harrison said about the outing, which included competitions outside of football. “I can’t play ping-pong. So, they were going back and forth in ping-pong, and other activities that they decided to do in that time in L.A.

“I’m more of a relaxer. Once football is done, I’m going to go out there and relax. Once football was done, I was in the pool watching Netflix.”

So far, Arizona’s No. 4 selection looks as good as advertised. But he’s not the only pass-catcher making a good impression in camp, as holdovers like slot receiver Greg Dortch, tight end Trey McBride and Wilson all have made splash plays.

While Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon has said that Murray will not play this preseason, he did not rule out the possibility of Harrison taking the field on Saturday at State Farm Stadium against the New Orleans Saints.

“Hopefully I get to play,” Harrison said. “I definitely want to get out there and play. Always compete.”

No matter when Harrison makes his debut, having such a talented No. 1 receiver has already inspired the rest of the wide receiver room.

“He’s what you’re chasing. He had stats that I dreamed of having [in college], and I was never able to achieve at Stanford,” Wilson said. “He was drafted in a spot that I dreamed of getting drafted in, but I couldn’t do it. So, he’s done a lot of things that I wanted to do. And now, I can see what makes him able to do that, and why I wasn’t able to do that.

“Being around him is healthy competition. Because if he makes a big play, I’m like I want to make a big play, too. And that’s how the room should be. You want to have guys pushing each other and wanting to one-up each other, because that’s going to help the organization. That’s going to help the offense and that’s going to help everyone grow into the player that you can ultimately become.”

Eric D. Williams has reported on the NFL for more than a decade, covering the Los Angeles Rams for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Chargers for ESPN and the Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma News Tribune. Follow him on Twitter at @eric_d_williams.

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