‘Stiff’ Marvin Harrison Jr. heads to last-chance Texans saloon or risks entering bust territory

Marvin Harrison Jr. is moving on to pastures new.

The former No. 4 overall pick was traded to the Houston Texans on Sunday, but it came at a cost.

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The Texans had to part ways with a 2027 second-round and seventh-round draft pick for the former Arizona Cardinals wide receiver, although they received a sixth-round pick in return.

But for a player who was once viewed as one of Ohio State’s greatest ever NFL prospects, up there with the likes of Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Chris Olave, and Garrett Wilson, Harrison Jr. has not lived up to the hype.

In the latest episode of talKSPORT’s Inside the NFL podcast, Will Gavin shared his belief that the Cardinals got a ‘sensational’ return haul for the wideout, who has already had some critics label him as a ‘bust’.

“I think that’s sensational value that the Cardinals have got to get a second-round pick for him, because, he’s, at best, been the second choice,” Gavin said.

“But really, he’s not only behind Michael Wilson who had such a great season and got his big contract in the off-season. Also behind the tight end [Trey McBride] there, and he’s maybe even WR4 at this point.”

In his two seasons-and-change in Arizona, Harrison Jnr has 1,578 total receiving yards and 13 touchdowns from 108 receptions.

That is a far cry from his back-to-back 1,200-yard seasons for the Buckeyes, where he had 14 touchdowns in both the 2022 and 2023 campaigns.

“I was so high on him coming into the league,” Gavin continued. “But he has looked stiff, he has looked low on confidence.

“His route-running has been poor. Anytime he knows the ball isn’t coming in his direction, his head’s dropped.”

Harrison Jr. has one chance to save his NFL career

Being the son of Pro Football Hall of Famer Marvin Harrison, who had a storied 13-year career with the Indianapolis Colts and notched 14,580 career receiving yards and 128 touchdowns, the 24-year-old always had a weight of expectation.

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That pressure can weigh very heavily, and Harrison Jr. has shown that at times in his young career.

Now at the Texans, and reunited with former Buckeyes teammate in quarterback CJ Stroud, talkSPORT senior reporter Brian T. Smith argues that this could be the last-chance saloon for the young receiver to salvage his NFL career.

“Does it look like Marvin Harrison cares? Does it look like he wants to be great, that he wants to follow in his dad’s footsteps, that he wants to make the Hall of Fame, that he wants to be an NFL legend?” Smith asked.

“No. So the Texans are betting that their organization, that DeMeco Ryans, that pairing him with CJ Stroud, the Ohio State connection, that all these things and the change of scenery can fix that.

“But the only thing that can fix that is Marvin Harrison. …This will be his last shot,” Smith continued.

“If you’re the son of a legend who played with Peyton Manning. If you’re a Hall of Famer. If you’re a top-3 pick, Ohio State, wide receiver university, all these things, and you’re paired with CJ Stroud.

“The Texans need you, and they’re going to give up a second-round pick for you, you either produce or your career is over. This is his last best shot to make it in the NFL.”

Only time will tell if a change of scenery can revitalize the young man’s career.

If it doesn’t work out in Houston, though, then the Texans will pay the price for giving up that second-rounder, and Harrison Jr. may lend himself to being immortalized as a bust.