Marvin Harrison Jr. hitting 1,000 yards as a rookie: Realistic or wishful thinking?

Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr.’s rookie season has been one filled with peaks and valleys.

Much like the rest of Arizona’s offense, consistency has been hard to come by for the No. 4 overall pick.

One week, he’ll have 21 yards on three catches. The next, he’ll reel in six balls for 111 yards.

The flashes have been there. The stacking of strong performances has not, leading to lofty expectations not being met.

But even with the ups and downs surrounding Harrison’s first NFL go-around, he still has a chance to accomplish something his father Marvin Harrison Sr. and Larry Fitzgerald could not as rookies:

Hit the 1,000-yard mark.

Now, it would take a career best from Harrison — whose season high is 130 yards in a game — but 178 is at least reachable.

Seeing what Harrison put on tape in last week’s loss to the Los Angeles Rams, when he caught six balls for 96 yards getting some different looks in offensive coordinator Drew Petzing’s system, helps with that thinking.

Hit on a few more of those 10 targets and Harrison could have been much closer to the mark he needs this week.

That being said, Harrison will have his work cut out for him against a 49ers secondary that’s allowed just three 100-yard games to opposing receivers in 2024. They include Minnesota’s Justin Jefferson (133), Seattle’s Jaxson Smith-Njigba (110) and Dallas’ CeeDee Lamb (146).

Leading the charge for San Francisco has been cornerback Deommodore Lenior and his two interceptions, nine passes defensed and 85 tackles. He’s been a problem for opposing quarterbacks.

He’s also banged up, having missed practice on Wednesday and Thursday due to a shoulder issue. If he were to miss this week’s game, that would be a huge hit to the 49ers defense and a massive plus for Harrison and the rest of Arizona’s wide receivers.

A thousand yards or not, though, Harrison still had plenty to take away from Year 1.

Arizona Cardinals WR Marvin Harrison Jr. reflects on his rookie year and what he’ll take away from Year 1.

“I’m just excited to continue to progress.” pic.twitter.com/JHLTdjRJhD

— Tyler Drake (@Tdrake4sports) January 1, 2025

“I never thought I couldn’t do it. I’ve always had confidence in myself, confidence in my abilities that I could do it,” Harrison said. “I think you definitely learn a lot your rookie year. For me, I’m just excited to continue to progress.

“It’s just exciting. It’s exciting football,” the rookie added when asked about his main takeaway from this year. “You got to get better each and every week. Each week’s a new challenge going against different systems, different players.”

Potential bragging rights for Marvin Harrison Jr.?

Even if Harrison doesn’t hit the 1,000-yard mark as a rookie, he can still surpass his father’s rookie receiving mark (836) on Sunday with 15 receiving yards.

Only twice this season has Harrison not gone for at least 15 yards. The first time was in Week 1’s loss to Buffalo. The second was against Green Bay after leaving due to a concussion. Both weird games in their own right for the wideout.

As for any added bragging rights that come with beating the old man’s rookie mark?

Next joke.

As far as Cardinals WR Marvin Harrison Jr. potentially having any bragging rights over his father for passing his rookie receiving yardage this week?

“There’s not much bragging rights, I’ll tell you that. Still got a long way to go.” 😂 pic.twitter.com/Q5EV3knRts

— Tyler Drake (@Tdrake4sports) January 1, 2025

“There’s not much bragging rights, I’ll tell you that,” Harrison said with a smile. “Still a long ways to go.”

He’s got a point. A gold jacket certainly carries more weight than a rookie season.

Follow @Tdrake4sports