Mel Kiper Jr. still has Cardinals landing Marvin Harrison Jr. in latest NFL mock draft

The thought of the Arizona Cardinals trading out of the No. 4 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft continues to pick up steam as we inch closer and closer to the first round on April 25.

As of Wednesday, the Arizona Sports Mock Draft Tracker has the Cardinals trading down as the second-most popular option among draft analysts behind selecting Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. More than half (12) of the 20 mock drafts that have the Cardinals trading their top pick have dropped in the past 10 days.

But as far as ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. is concerned, Harrison is still very much the answer for Arizona at No. 4 overall following a run of quarterbacks in his latest 2-round mock draft.

I know, I know, I’ve been chalk in these first four picks, but I just don’t see Arizona passing on its chance to take the top wideout in the class. For me, that’s Harrison, but Malik Nabers (LSU) and Rome Odunze (Washington) aren’t far behind. The reality is NFL teams will have clear preferences for each position, so Arizona will know which receiver it likes most and should take him here. Kyler Murray has to get some help, especially with Marquise Brown leaving in free agency.

For those of you keeping track of Kiper’s latest mocks, this shouldn’t come as much of a surprise, with the draft analyst pairing Harrison with the Cardinals in his first and second mock drafts of the offseason.

And while the trading-down discussion has gotten more traction of late, Harrison is still head and shoulders above any of the other options in the Arizona Sports Mock Draft Tracker, with 141 of the 205 drafts tallied pairing the wideout with Arizona.

It’s not hard to see why.

Harrison, who many project as the top wide receiver prospect this draft class, is coming off back-to-back seasons at Ohio State of 14 touchdowns and at least 1,211 receiving yards.

Harrison’s work ethic and high motor have only helped solidify his draft stock. And his namesake speaks for itself.

He would give the Cardinals a legit No. 1 option that they simply don’t currently have on the roster.

With Hollywood Brown now calling Kansas City home after signing a one-year deal with the Chiefs this offseason, Arizona is in search of the next leader of its wide receivers room.

Currently, the Cardinals wide-receiving group is headlined by second-year pro Michael Wilson and slot man Greg Dorth.

Have the Cardinals met with Marvin Harrison Jr. this offseason?

The Cardinals have sat down with Harrison multiple times this offseason.

Once at the NFL Draft Combine and again during a top 30 visit last Friday.

“It was good, he was on it,” Gannon told Arizona Sports’ Wolf & Luke during the week of the combine. “All the questions that were asked by everybody in there, he had really good answers. Very thought out, very mature. It was a really good interview.”

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