Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. has decided that he won’t be participating in any part of the NFL Draft process.
The two-time All-American showed up at the NFL combine last month in Indianapolis to meet with a few teams but opted not to work out or even talk with the media. He took the same approach to the Buckeyes’ pro day as he instead watched his former teammates work out as he stood on the sidelines.
Harrison has stayed silent throughout the process, electing to stay in Columbus and continue his routine as he prepares for the next level. But he and his Hall of Fame father finally broke their silence in an interview with ESPN’s Matt Miller, explaining the decision to approach the draft this way.
“It’s been a very restful process,” Marvin Harrison Sr. said. “Something we took into consideration from Day 1, which was how are we going to prepare for the 2024 NFL season? I sat down, talked to Jr. and said, ‘Listen we can put yourself in the realm of an NFL player now and prepare for the future or you can get ready to do things that everyone else is doing.’
“When I explained it to him we said when you’re a rookie coming into this league and you’ve been playing three or four years of college football it’s tough to maintain, be strong and have a great rookie season. I said if we just rest — just like every other player or NFL receiver is doing right now in January, February, I think it’ll pay off for you later down the line.”
The Harrison family has chosen rest over everything else for their son, who could be the first non-quarterback taken in the draft. Instead of spending months preparing for a day’s worth of drills for the sake of evaluations, they’ve shifted focus to putting him on the same timeline that any other NFL player would be on at this point of the year, in hopes of having him best-prepared for his rookie season. Regardless of where that is.
The same work ethic that allowed him to have 155 career catches for 2,613 yards and 31 touchdowns while turning him into a Heisman Trophy finalist is still there. It’s just being channeled toward what happens next fall instead of what’s happening in the spring.
“I’ve been in Columbus working out with my same trainers that I’ve had my whole college career,” Harrison Jr. said. “Just getting stronger, faster and like my dad said, resting a lot too. It’s been a very fun process though.”
