How Cardinals’ Marvin Harrison Jr. Can Make a Year 2 Leap: ‘Marv’s Got to Be Marv’

Eric Williams

NFL Reporter

For those who thought that Marvin Harrison Jr., the top pass-catcher taken in last year’s draft, had an underwhelming rookie season, his former receivers coach at Ohio State has a message:

Relax.

Brian Hartline, now the offensive coordinator for the Buckeyes, expects an uptick in Harrison’s performance in his second NFL season.

“Marv’s just got to keep being Marv,” Hartline told me. “Whatever the success, or lack thereof, that people think he had, it probably was not because of Marv’s process or how he operates. I’m sure there were some other variables involved that he can’t control.

“Marv’s got to be Marv. He will do that. I’m excited to see what he does in Year 2. Most guys make that jump in Year 2, and I know without a doubt Marv will.”

During their time together at Ohio State, Brian Hartline (left) helped turn Marvin Harrison Jr. into a top-five NFL Draft pick. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

One receiver who knows what it takes to make that second-year jump is Pro Football Hall of Fame finalist Torry Holt. As a rookie with the St. Louis Rams in 1999, Holt finished with 52 catches for 788 yards and six touchdowns. He followed that with 82 receptions for 1,635 yards and six touchdowns in his second year, earning a trip to the Pro Bowl after the 2000 season.

Holt attributed his jump in production to sticking around the facility during the offseason to work on his game.

“I didn’t leave St. Louis, and if I did, it wasn’t for long,” Holt told me. “I went home for a little bit of training and to see family, and then I was back in the building. The coaches labeled me a gym rat because I was always there.

“I spent time watching tape, understanding and getting a better feel for the offense and what my role was in the offense, so I could play at a high level for a long period of time, and consistently. … That was my thing. I hung around. I worked with the coaches when they were there. I worked with the strength coaches when they were there. I worked on my own. It didn’t matter to me. I just wanted to be in the building, finding a way to get better at my craft.”

As a rookie with the Cardinals last season, Harrison totaled 62 catches for 885 yards and eight touchdowns, comparable numbers to what his father, Hall of Fame receiver Marvin Harrison Sr., posted in his rookie season (64 catches, 836 yards, eight touchdowns for the Indianapolis Colts in 1996).

The younger Harrison’s rookie numbers were actually better than franchise icon Larry Fitzgerald’s 58 catches for 780 yards in his rookie year with Arizona. In his second season, 2005, Fitzgerald improved his numbers to 103 catches for 1,049 yards and made his first of 11 Pro Bowls.

Both Fitzgerald and Harrison played their high school football in Philadelphia, and Fitzgerald told me he followed Harrison’s career all through high school and college. Fitzgerald’s son, Devin, a high school receiver in Phoenix who’s committed to play at Notre Dame, talks regularly with Harrison after a chance meeting earlier this year.

“He’s a tremendous young player,” Fitzgerald said about Harrison. “He had a really nice rookie season. He made a lot of plays. And it looks like he’s gotten a lot stronger physically. So, to be able to get off press [coverage] and be able to have the physicality in the running game and the things he needs to do, it’s going to be a huge benefit to him.

“I also think in Year 2 the game just naturally slows down. You know the system better. You know the flow of the season and the schedule. There’s not as many mysteries going in. You’ve done it already. You’ve played. … You know the hand signals. You know the adjustments. You know two-minute and the situational football. All of those things get significantly easier for you going into Year 2. It definitely did for me.”

This offseason, Harrison stayed in Arizona to train, adding more muscle to his 6-foot-3 frame. He wouldn’t divulge how much weight he’s gained, but he’s hopeful the added bulk will help him be more consistent in making contested catches. Harrison had a contested-catch rate of 42.1% in 2024, No. 110 in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus.

Marvin Harrison struggled with making contested catches as a rookie in 2024. (Photo by Bruce Yeung/Getty Images)

“Football is a physical game,” Harrison said. “You have a lot of contested-catch situations, run after catch and things like that. We’ll see how things play out.”

Among receivers with at least 100 targets last season, only Calvin Ridley (53.3%) had a lower catch rate (percentage of targeted throws that result in receptions) than Harrison’s 53.4%. Also, Harrison’s two yards of average separation per route run was the lowest among receivers with at least 45 targets, according to Next Gen Stats.

How Harrison was used in Arizona’s offense played a role in those daunting statistics. On in-breaking routes, he was targeted 40 times, finishing with 28 receptions for 499 yards (70% catch rate) and four touchdowns with one interception, according to Next Gen Stats. On out-breaking routes, Harrison finished with 15 receptions for 148 yards on 26 targets, with two touchdowns and an interception (57.7% catch rate).

The most concerning stat might be this one: Harrison’s 45 uncatchable targets were the most in the league, according to Pro Football Focus. That speaks to a lack of chemistry with quarterback Kyler Murray. Harrison said they’ve worked to get in sync this offseason by getting more reps on the field.

“Routes on air,” Harrison said. “Just going out there and competing, completing passes and getting our timing down on routes that we maybe worked on last year, or that are new this year. So, just us being able to go out there and kind of just being able to do things with our eyes closed, so that it happens naturally.”

Murray believes that diligent work between the two will lead to better production for Harrison and the Cardinals in 2025.

“Now he’s at the point where he’s definitely more comfortable, and I can see it out there on the field,” Murray said. “And I think that will only allow him to play faster and be the guy we know he can be.”

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 X at @eric_d_williams.

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