Arizona Cardinals can't go wrong with any of Top 3 wide receiver draft prospects
If former Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. is still on the board when the Cardinals are slated to pick fourth overall in April’s NFL draft, it's becoming more and more of a foregone conclusion that Harrison will be the pick.
He’s been described by nearly every draft analyst in the industry as the top-rated overall prospect in this year’s class, even though quarterbacks are largely expected to go one, two and three before Arizona makes its first selection. The Cardinals are in dire need of a new No.1 wideout and the 6-foot-4 Harrison is overwhelmingly considered a generational talent.
But what happens if Harrison isn’t there when the Cardinals are on the clock?
That would mean at least one of the top three quarterbacks — Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, or Drake Maye —would be available at No. 4, and the Cardinals, who are fully prepared to stick with Kyler Murray at QB, could entertain offers to move down in the first round with a quarterback-needy team willing to send draft picks to Arizona to move up.
Monti Ossenfort did something very similar to that last year in his first draft as the Cardinals’ general manager. He dealt the No. 3 and 105th overall pick to the Texans for the No. 12 and 33rd overall picks, as well as a first- and third-rounder in 2024. The Cardinals then traded back up to No. 6 to select Ohio State tackle Paris Johnson Jr.
Tackle remains an option this year at No. 4 considering veteran left tackle D.J. Humphries is expected to miss most of the upcoming season after suffering a torn ACL in Week 16 against the Eagles.
The Cardinals could slide Johnson from right tackle to left tackle or keep him on the right side, and then have their choice of any of the top four tackles in this draft – Joe Alt from Notre Dame, Olumuyiwa Fashanu from Penn State, Taliese Fuaga from Oregon, or JC Latham from Alabama.
Ossenfort and the Cardinals will get a chance to meet with all of those prospects and more at the NFL scouting combine, which begins this coming week in Indianapolis.
According to NFL Media draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah, the Cardinals should stick with a wide receiver at No. 4 even if Harrison goes to the Bears, Commanders, or Patriots at 1, 2 or 3. He said Arizona can’t go wrong by selecting either of the next two top-rated wideouts – Rome Odunze from Washington or Malik Nabers from LSU.
“I would take one of the wideouts, personally,” Jeremiah told The Republic during a conference call on Thursday. “I think if you just looked purely off of grade and not positional value – I tweeted this out the other day – I think you could make a case the three highest-graded players in this draft are those three receivers. They are outstanding. I think they’re all going to be No.1 guys wherever they go.”
Jeremiah took it even one step further in his evaluation.
“I think you need some firepower if you’re the Arizona Cardinals. You need some guys who can go get it, go make plays,” he said, noting the Cardinals ranked 26th in passing yards per game and 24th in points per game. “Let’s get some firepower. I’d love any of those three guys.”
More NFL draft: Bob McManaman's 2024 NFL Mock Draft 2.0, Marvin Harrison Jr still the pick at No.4
Ossenfort was asked specifically about Harrison, Odunze and Nabers during an appearance on Arizona Sports 98.7-FM on Thursday, but he obviously wasn’t going to telegraph the Cardinals’ plans with the fourth overall pick.
“I think all three of those guys are very talented players,” Ossenfort said, adding, “We look at every position of the draft and we’re in the middle of that process right now. We’ll get more time to spend with those guys and all the players at the combine next week. … We’re going to evaluate the entirety of the draft and we’re going to make the best decision when it comes to that pick.
“I think we showed last year, our propensity is to when that phone rings, we’re going to listen. We’re going to have an opportunity to sit there and pick who we deem to be worthy of the fourth pick, and if the phone rings and somebody’s got an offer for us to move up, to move back, those are all things that we’re going to consider.”
If the Cardinals were to target a wide receiver with the first of their two picks in the opening round (they also hold the No. 27 pick), Jeremiah offered his thoughts on each of the top three wideouts in this year’s class.
On Marvin Harrison Jr., who finished with 144 receptions for 2,474 yards and 28 touchdowns his last two seasons with the Buckeyes: “With Marvin, you get the big power forward who’s got some really good quickness for a big guy and really tracks the ball extremely well.”
On Rome Odunze, who had 156 receptions for 2,573 yards and 20 touchdowns the past two seasons for the Huskies: “He’s my favorite player in the draft. Odunze is going to be close to 220 pounds. I think you’re going to see him run in the low 4.4s and who’s got unbelievable tracking skills to go up and get it and make the combat catches, physical. If you’re in Arizona and you see him, I think you will see similarities to (Larry) Fitzgerald just in terms of how he attacks the ball and goes and gets it.”
On Malik Nabers, who finished with 152 receptions for 2,441 yards and 15 touchdowns his last two years with the Tigers: “Nabers is just like a stick of dynamite. He’s super, super explosive. Just get the ball in his hands and let him go. I think there’s more to him in terms of a route runner and I think he’ll get more opportunities to show that at the next level. But he is ultra, ultra explosive."
In his second mock draft, which was released this past week, Jeremiah had Harrison going to the Patriots at No. 3, suggesting they’d pass on a quarterback by acquiring a veteran through free agency or a trade. Deep down, however, he thinks New England would be better off drafting one of the top three QB prospects instead.
“To me, it would be tough to pass on a quarterback,” he said. “You’re not guaranteed to be up here again. There’s no guarantee in future years of what it looks like at the position. I think you have three guys who are worthy of consideration there.
“I look at whichever one is there, if it’s any of those top three quarterbacks, those guys that bring so much energy and life to your franchise, it just feels right.”
If quarterbacks go one, two and three, there’s really no reason why the Cardinals should want to move down from No. 4. Drafting Harrison, the son of Pro Football Hall of Famer Marvin Harrison Sr., feels right. Odunze or Nabers, though, might be a great consolation prize.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: If Harrison Jr., isn't available, would Cardinals still draft a WR?
