What it will take for top 2024 draft picks to deliver on the hype
Marvin Harrison Jr., WR, Arizona Cardinals
Accolades needed: 12,000 career receiving yards, 80 career TDs, 7x Pro Bowl, 5x All-Pro
Look, I get that I am probably being unfair, but that's what happens when you are the most-hype receiver prospect since A.J. Green or Julio Jones (they were the same draft class) and the son of an NFL Hall of Famer. Expectations are sky high for Harrison, who has been touted as pro ready since his sophomore year at Ohio State.
Some of those numbers might appear eye-popping at first glance, but let's give them some context. 55 receivers in NFL history have eclipsed 10,000 yards receiving. Stefon Diggs, Tyreek Hill and maybe even Brandin Cooks could pass the mark this season. Being part of that club means you are good, but the fact that Cooks is so close indicates that maybe this is not as prestigious as it might seem.
The jump from 10,000 to 12,000 is a tough one. Only 29 receivers have surpassed 12,000 receiving yards in NFL history. Mike Evans, Travis Kelce and Davante Adams are all in range to do so this season. Those three guys will be fitted for gold jackets one day. The 80-touchdown club is an exclusive one as well. 32 players have reached that mark. DeAndre Hopkins, Hill and Kelce all sit within six of joining this year.
In the modern NFL, these numbers are more than attainable. To be honest, they don't even come close to the totals Harrison's dad posted in career. When Marvin Harrison Sr. retired in 2008, he was fourth on the all-time receiving yards list with 14,580 yards and fifth on the all-time receiving touchdowns list with 128. He has since slid to ninth on the yards list, but still sits fifth in touchdowns.
It helps to play with one of the five greatest quarterbacks ever in Peyton Manning, but still, Harrison was one of the ten greatest receivers of all-time. I'm not even expecting the younger Harrison to be that, but in the conversation as one of the top 30 players at the position ever, that is the level of hype we are talking about.
As far as the personal awards go, Harrison Sr. was a Pro Bowler and an All-Pro eight times. The league has better general receiver play these days, but seven Pro Bowls and five All-Pro selections would match Julio Jones' career totals. What's more, only seven receivers in NFL history have more than seven Pro Bowl selections (there are a number of players with seven).
Obviously, health and longevity go a long way in these conversations. Calvin Johnson's name would appear a lot more if he had played more than nine seasons. Injuries are never something you can plan for and could hold Harrison back from reaching those totals, but that is a totally different conversation. Assuming we get him on the field for the next decade plus, he should have a Hall of Fame career.