Cardinals’ ‘Batman’ Kyler Murray finds his ‘Robin’ in Marvin Harrison Jr.

Eric Williams

NFC West Writer

You complete me.

That’s what Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray is certainly hoping for with his team selecting the most complete receiver in this year’s draft in Marvin Harrison Jr. with the No. 4 overall pick.

After making five trades during last year’s draft, the Cardinals were certainly considered a team that could potentially trade down with a quarterback-needy team that wanted to move up in the draft.

Instead, general manager Monti Ossenfort stayed put, selecting one of the best receivers coming out of college in years. And with this pick, a team that finished 4-13 last season appears ready to take a significant leap in Year 2 of a rebuild led by head coach Jonathan Gannon.

Out the first half of last season as he rehabilitated from a knee injury that cut short his 2022 campaign, Murray returned from ACL knee surgery in the second half of last season, finishing 3-5 as a starter, including two wins against playoff teams.

While tight end Trey McBride quietly developed into one of the more consistent playmaking tight ends in the league and running back James Conner provided grit, toughness and production, the Cardinals had no wide receiver on the perimeter for opponents to fear.

According to Next Gen Stats, the Cardinals had 1,786 receiving yards from the receiver spot in 2023. Only the New York Jets (1,696) and Atlanta Falcons (1,650) had fewer. Arizona’s top receiver Marquise Brown couldn’t stay on the field last season due to injuries and left to join the Kansas City Chiefs in free agency.

Stanford product Michael Wilson showed promise in his rookie reason and Greg Dortch was Arizona’s most consistent performer in the receiver room, but the Cardinals did not have a true No. 1 receiver.

That changes with the addition of Harrison. The Cardinals grabbed a generational talent at receiver, much like they did two decades ago in taking Larry Fitzgerald Jr. at No. 3 in the 2004 draft.

The son of the Hall of Fame Colts receiver, Harrison Jr. has everything you want in a big-time, No. 1 receiver. The 6-foot-3, 209-pound Ohio State product runs smooth routes, has vice grips for hands and can make things happen after the catch.

He didn’t miss a game for the Buckeyes and was highly productive, finishing with 155 catches for 2,613 receiving yards and 32 total touchdowns.

Yes, Harrison skipped testing at the combine and didn’t work out at his pro day, but scouts saw all they needed by simply looking at his tape.

With Harrison on the roster, the Cardinals now have a receiver on the perimeter other teams must fear and game plan for. He should help the Cardinals more effectively run the football by drawing secondary defenders out of the box, and he should help Arizona create more big plays down the field.

Harrison averaged 18 yards per catch in his last season with Ohio State even though opposing defenses knew he was going to get the football.

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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