For two years at Ohio State, Paris Johnson saw what Marvin Harrison Jr. was capable of in the Buckeyes’ offense. Johnson was on the offensive line in 2022 when Harrison put together a huge year with 1,263 yards and 14 touchdowns before heading to the Arizona Cardinals.
Now, the two are preparing to be teammates again. The Cardinals selected Harrison with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, reuniting him with Johnson. He’ll be catching passes from Kyler Murray this year as he looks to supercharge the Arizona offense just as he did at Ohio State.
As for what Johnson would do with the scheme, it’s simple. He’d let Murray do what he does best – while also making sure Harrison gets the ball.
“My mindset was just let C.J. [Stroud] just do his thing. And that’s my thing, I want Kyler to be able to do his thing,” Johnson said, via NFL.com’s Grant Gordon. “Don’t worry about whoever’s over here, just do your thing, that’s why you’re here. And just throw it to Marvin and we’ll be good. You know what I mean? That’s what I’m excited about and I think all that starts because of what we do on the line.”
Harrison had a strong case for best playmaker in this year’s draft after an impressive career at Ohio State. He won the Biletnikoff Award as college football’s top receiver in 2023 after totaling 1,211 yards and 14 touchdowns even despite losing Stroud to the NFL. That helped him become one of the top picks in the draft and a key playmaker for Murray.
Marvin Harrison Jr. could take Cardinals to ‘another level’
Harrison could have a major impact on the offense because of his ability to go up and get it, as well as run routes with ease. Those are reasons why Murray said the Cardinals could take a major leap in 2024.
“I think (Harrison) takes us to another level,” Murray said after mandatory minicamp. “When you got a guy out there that is capable of winning one-on-ones, obviously he’s got to go do it and he knows that. We all know it. But as far as manipulating coverage and stuff like that, you got a guy out there that can do that and even if he’s not open, he’s open.
“I’m excited to be able to build that with him, but when he does what he does, yeah, I fully expect our offense to be top of the league.”