With two weeks until the anticipated debut of the Arizona Cardinals’ 2024 draft class, NFL.com analyst Dan Parr laid out the best- and worst-case scenarios for the team’s top playmaker.
Marvin Harrison Jr. is expected to immediately step into the WR1 role for Arizona, with NFL.com projecting him with 81 catches, 1,102 yards and eight touchdowns in a standout rookie season. The Cardinals have only had 20 seasons with 1,100+ yards in franchise history, with Larry Fitzgerald having seven of those.
The 6-foot-3 receiver has been one of the most highly-regarded recruits in recent years after two consecutive 1,000-yard seasons and a first-team All-American selection at Ohio State. The ideal scenario for the Cardinals would be for Harrison and quarterback Kyler Murray to quickly lock into place.
Best case scenario: MHJ and Kyler Murray have instant chemistry, giving the franchise confidence they have a QB-WR relationship to build on for years to come, and Arizona’s new WR1 plays at all three levels of the field and leads a resurgence in the desert.
Worst case scenario: Defenses build their game plan around containing Harrison and the Cardinals can’t find a way to counter that. Big plays are few and far between and drops become an issue.
Harrison hasn’t had much of an issue dropping passes in college other than three in a win over Purdue last season, when he caught six passes for 105 yards and a touchdown.
Defenses will undoubtedly be hard-fought for the son of a Hall of Famer, so Arizona has a responsibility to free him up. The Cardinals started the season differently than they did last year, running the ball well, with tight end Trey McBride breaking out and Murray under center (torn ACL).
Wide receiver Zay Jones is suspended for five games, which will put all eyes on Michael Wilson and Greg Dortch to fill in for Harrison.
Speaking of the run game, rookie running back Trey Benson from Florida State was also on Par’s list. Benson is in the thick of the RB2 battle and has a chance to help the team early on.
Best case scenario: Benson establishes himself as an attractive backup to James Conner early on and begins to demand a larger workload by the middle of the season, while also making a bigger-than-expected impact as a pass-catcher.
Worst case scenario: He’s not decisive enough as a runner to challenge Conner to compete for the snap, and while his explosiveness is good (he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.39 seconds, after all), he’s not overpowered enough to consistently rack up big gains at the NFL level.
Benson was outstanding in Arizona’s second preseason game against the Indianapolis Colts, averaging 4.8 yards per carry and rushing nine times for 43 yards.
His projections showed him rushing 147 times for 621 yards and four touchdowns.
The Cardinals will play one more preseason game on Sunday against the Denver Broncos, with a 1:30 p.m. kickoff.