NFL.com projects 1,000-yard season for Cardinals’ Marvin Harrison Jr.

The anticipated debut of the Arizona Cardinals’ 2024 draft class is two weeks away, and NFL.com analyst Dan Parr laid out the best-case and worst-case scenarios for its top playmakers.

Marvin Harrison Jr. is set to jump right into Arizona’s WR1 role, and NFL.com projects 81 catches for 1,102 yards and eight touchdowns in a stellar rookie season. The Cardinals have only had 20 1,100-yard seasons in franchise history, seven from Larry Fitzgerald.

The 6-foot-3 receiver has been one of the highest-regarded rookie prospects in years after back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons and First-team All-American nods at Ohio State. In an ideal scenario for the Cardinals, Harrison and quarterback Kyler Murray are lockstep right away.

Best-case scenario: Chemistry between MHJ and Kyler Murray is on display right away, instilling confidence that the franchise has a QB-WR connection it can build around for years to come. Arizona’s new WR1 makes plays on all three levels of the field and leads a resurgence in the desert.

Worst-case scenario: Defenses build their game plans around locking down Harrison in coverage and the Cardinals can’t find a way to counter. The big plays are few and far between, and drops are an issue.

Harrison did not have much of a drops issue in college outside a three-drops game against Purdue last season — he also caught six passes for 105 yards and a touchdown in a win that day.

Defenses will surely lock in on the son of a Hall of Famer out there, which gives Arizona responsibility to free him up. The Cardinals ran the ball very well last year, got a breakout campaign from tight end Trey McBride and have Murray behind center to start a season unlike last year (torn ACL).

Wide receiver Zay Jones will be suspended for five games, putting a greater spotlight on Michael Wilson and Greg Dortch to compliment Harrison.

Speaking of the run game, rookie running back Trey Benson from Florida State was also on Parr’s list. Benson is in the thick of the RB2 battle with an opportunity to help his team early on.

Best-case scenario: Benson entrenches himself as the enticing backup to James Conner early on and begins pushing for a larger workload by midseason. He makes a bigger impact as a pass catcher than expected, too.

Worst-case scenario: He’s not decisive enough as a runner and is unable to challenge Conner for snaps. The burst is good — the man ran a 4.39 40-yard dash, after all — but not overwhelming enough for him to break off big gains on a consistent basis at the NFL level.

Benson was a standout in Arizona’s second preseason game at the Indianapolis Colts, averaging 4.8 yards per carry on his way to 43 yards on nine rushing attempts.

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