Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. a breakout candidate in 2025, writes ESPN
It was an up and down rookie season for
Those four rookies who finished ahead of him — Brian Thomas Jr. (Jacksonville Jaguars), Malik Nabers (New York Giants), Brock Bowers (Las Vegas Raiders) and Ladd McConkey (Los Angeles Chargers) — did so by at least 200 yards.
“I’m not going to lie and say it’s been easy,” Harrison told reporters in December. “Definitely a lot different for me. Just the success you kinda had in the past and then to kinda have a roller coaster ride of a year as a rookie, it’s been hard.
“But leaning on my teammates and my coaches. They do a good job of encouraging me each and every week. Family as well. I’m just having an approach of worrying about the process instead of the results more than anything.”
Thomas, Nabers and Bowers were finalists for the AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year award.
How can have a breakout 2025
For Harrison to get closer to the hype and talent he flashed as a star at Ohio State, building his chemistry with Cardinals starting quarterback Kyler Murray is as good of place to start as any.
“I just want to go out there and do the best that I can. He’s doing the best he can. We’ll be better,” Harrison said in December.
, but one ESPN NFL expert writes that the former Ohio State Buckeye could be in for a breakout sophomore season come 2025.
Dan Graziano gave a prediction for ESPN that Harrison Jr. could be among the breakout candidates next year.
Harrison Jr., who was selected fourth overall in the 2024 NFL Draft, was well aware of how his rookie season went. He didn’t finish as a finalist for the AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year honor, which came to no surprise as he finished the season with 885 receiving yards on the year — good for 33rd in the NFL and fifth-most among rookie pass catchers.
“Whatever we got to do to figure it out, I’m sure we will,” he added.
What looked to be miscommunications on routes whether because of off ball placement by Murray or route running by Harrison Jr., played into the pass-catcher’s 53.4% catch percentage in Year 1.
Harrison Jr. coming down with more 50-50 balls in contested situations would also boost those stats.
“This was a good year for him to get under his belt,” Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon said last December. “First year with the quarterback, and there’s no doubt that collectively we have to do a better job. … It’s not like I just think (that) it is what it is, that’s not my mindset. I know the impact that he can have on our team and our offense, and we have to make sure that he hits his ceiling. He’ll have some things that he is working on this week that I want to see show up that he has to do a better job of. There’s a lot of things that I’m working on this week that have to show up.”
