The main attraction at Ohio State’s Pro Day workout was quarterback C.J. Stroud, who might go to the Panthers with the first overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft. But the secondary attraction was a prospect who isn’t draft eligible until 2024.
That would be Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., who worked out in front of NFL personnel at Ohio State’s Pro Day even though he can’t enter this year’s draft because NFL rules prevent players from entering the draft until they’re three years out of high school.
Harrison, who will be draft eligible next year, was widely praised by the NFL scouts and executives in Columbus, according to multiple reporters on the scene. And that’s no surprise. The 20-year-old Harrison is 6-foot-4 and 205 pounds and an even better athlete than his Hall of Fame receiver father. Last year Harrison was a first-team All-American and the winner of the Big Ten’s receiver of the year award after catching 77 passes for 1,263 yards and 14 touchdowns.
Although Harrison’s Ohio State teammate Jaxon Smith-Njigba is the favorite to be the first receiver drafted, it was Harrison who stepped up as Ohio State’s No. 1 receiver last year while Smith-Njigba missed most of the season with an injury, and Harrison is probably a better NFL prospect.
The NFL’s draft rules are a raw deal for Harrison, who would likely be the first receiver drafted if he were eligible to enter this year’s draft. Instead Harrison will spend one more year at Ohio State before the NFL teams that loved what they saw at Ohio State’s Pro Day get a chance to draft him.