Cardinals’ Marvin Harrison Jr. at NFL Draft: ‘I’m gonna work as hard as I can to earn trust’

TEMPE — Marvin Harrison Jr. went into NFL Draft day with an open mind, knowing the Arizona Cardinals were a strong possibility to take him with the fourth overall pick on Thursday.

“I could not be more excited to be an Arizona Cardinal, really,” Harrison said after they took him. “I didn’t have any expectations. When I got the phone call, man, I was really excited.”

The Ohio State star and two-time All-American said his meetings with the Cardinals went great, as he got the chance to meet with owner Michael Bidwill, general manager Monti Ossenfort, head coach Jonathan Gannon and quarterback Kyler Murray — who by the looks of it was rather pumped by the selection.

LETS WORK. pic.twitter.com/8DzJ6ZmVQA

— Kyler Murray (@K1) April 26, 2024

Harrison said Murray is the type of competitor — based on his track record going back to high school — he wants to play with, and he had glowing first impressions of his next head coach.

“He’s a great dude, man. Hilarious, actually,” Harrison said. “I love coach Gannon. Talked to him plenty of times at this point. And now I’m super excited to be coached by him.”

Harrison also got to reconnect with offensive lineman Paris Johnson Jr. during this process, his Buckeyes teammate before Johnson was picked No. 6 overall by Arizona last year.

“It’s really awesome,” Harrison said of being teammates again. “I haven’t gotten a chance to talk him yet. It was kind of a full-circle moment.”

Cardinals WR Marvin Harrison Jr.’s next steps

Next steps Harrison laid out are to get to Arizona, start learning the playbook and build a connection with Murray, whom he called “so dynamic.”

He said his body feels great going into the summer when he’ll take the practice field at the team facility. Rookie minicamp is May 10-12.

“I just gotta learn the playbook, hopefully they can move me around a lot, do different things,” Harrison said. “Like I said, I’m just gonna work as hard as I can to earn trust in my coaches and my teammates, go out there and perform.”

Harrison did not participate in the NFL Scouting Combine or at a pro day, but that evidently did not affect his stock or readiness.

His father, Hall of Famer Marvin Harrison Sr., helped put him in position to succeed entering the 2024 season, Harrison said.

What jersey he’ll perform in is not something he’s sure of yet, saving that for when he arrives in Arizona. He wore No. 18 in college, which is taken by edge rusher BJ Ojulari.

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