Christian McCaffrey’s decision to skip a bowl game and focus on the NFL Draft was a huge deal in 2016.
It may soon be ancient history if Marvin Harrison Jr. keeps shaking up the draft process and stars in the pros like his father.
Harrison is viewed as a potential top-five pick, with several mocks linking him with the Arizona Cardinals at No. 4 overall.
With quarterbacks Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, Drake Maye and J.J. McCarthy expected to dominate the top of the draft, Harrison is the only non-QB whose name has consistently appeared at the top of mocks for months.
“I don’t think he necessarily knows where he’s going, in terms of which team,” NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah exclusively told talkSPORT.
“But I think he knows the proximity, in terms of the draft order, of where he’s going. He’s going to be a top-10 pick lock and most likely a top-five pick.”
That general understanding of his top-10 worth has led to a unique pre-draft process for Harrison, who skipped his Scouting Combine media interview and opted out of on-field drills.
Harrison also skipped Ohio State’s pro day, which is normally the back-up plan for prospects who hold off on Combine workouts, and didn’t play for Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl.
Jeremiah said that Harrison has approached his draft process “different than anyone else.”
“I think he’s earned the right to do that, because of what he’s done at the college level and just the track record that he has,” Jeremiah said. “It doesn’t hurt with your dad being a Hall of Fame player.
“Whether he goes three, four, five or 10, it doesn’t matter to him. He wants to hit the ground running next year.
“So instead of spending this offseason training for pro days and 40s and those things, he’s just training to hit the ground running next year, wherever he lands in the draft.”
At Ohio State, Harrison was a two-time All American, totaling 155 catches for 2,613 yards and 31 touchdowns.
His father, Marvin, was a critical connection for Peyton Manning, catching 1,102 balls for 14,580 yards and 128 TDs during a 13-year career with the Indianapolis Colts that ended in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Back in 2016, McCaffrey was an All American at Stanford who ran for 3,922 yards and added 1,206 receiving yards while collecting 31 total TDs.
After dominating the 2016 Rose Bowl with a monster performance in a big win over Iowa, McCaffrey opted out of the 2017 Sun Bowl to focus on his health and being ready for the draft.
“Very tough decision, but I have decided not to play in the Sun Bowl so I can begin my draft prep immediately,” McCaffrey tweeted in 2016. “Thx to all my teammates for their 100% support — it means a lot ot me. Go Cardinal!”
He went No. 8 overall to to Carolina, then became a three-time Pro Bowler who was named the 2023 NFL Offensive Player of the Year as San Francisco almost beat Kansas City in Super Bowl LVIII.
But in 2016, many criticized McCaffrey for the controverisal move.
“Wt* is wrong with you,” one fan tweeted.
“TRADITION … they pass on the TRADITION,” a second fan posted. “IT goes WAY BACK, yeah, before you guys were born & stuff.”
Harrison has skipped the majority of the big events leading up to the draft, making McCaffrey’s Sun Bowl decision look minimal.
If the mocks and analysts are right, the son of a Hall of Famer will soon go in the top five — and Harrison will have done it his way, potentially setting a new trend that could change the Combine for years to come.
“I would not be surprised if this is the start of a trend with some of the premier players,” Jeremiah said. “Where they say, ‘I’ve done enough. You can see it. You have all the GPS numbers on my speed and it’s pretty exceptional.
“So I’m not going to be training for a 40. Instead, you’ll know that when I show up at mini-camp, I’ll be ready to roll and have a monster rookie season.’
“I think this is something he’s earned and I don’t think this will be the last time that we see something like this.
“When Christian McCaffrey elected not to play in the Sun Bowl, people lost their minds, and now look where we are.”
News Summary:
- Marvin Harrison Jr. is doing it his way and NFL Draft insider says it could be ‘start of trend with premier players’ as they join pro teams
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