Jim Harbaugh ‘shouldn’t be thinking twice’ about drafting Marvin Harrison Jr. if available

If former Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. is available when the Los Angeles Chargers make the first pick of the Jim Harbaugh era at No. 5 overall, the decision is simple. Add Harrison, and worry about the rest later on.

That is, at least, the general takeaway from Pro Football Focus draft analyst Trevor Sikkema in the hypothetical laid out for him by On3’s Andy Staples. In this version of the 2024 NFL Draft, some history has been made with quarterbacks coming off the board for the first four picks, leaving the Chargers the chance to take any of the top three receivers available in the draft: Harrison, Malik Nabers, or Rome Odunze.

For Sikkema, one stands clearly above the rest.

“I would be taking Marvin Harrison Jr. and I really wouldn’t be thinking twice about it,” Sikkema said. “And to say it like that sounds insulting to the talent level of Odunze and Malik Nabers, who I also think have All-Pro ability. But, what Marvin Harrison Jr. has shown over the last two years, as just a true sophomore and true junior, is a mastery of the position that is very, very rare. His athletic ability, there’s really not a hole to his game.”

Though he did make clear that landing Nabers or Odunze out of the draft is far more than a consolation for a team in search of a receiver.

“We’re in a year where you can take any three of these guys and plop them in basically any other draft class, I would say over the last decade, and one of these guys is probably WR1,” Sikkema said. “Any of them could be WR1 in that draft class. So it’s a special year to have all of three of them in one.”

And after Harrison showed off more ability to pick up yards after the catch in 2023 — the only concern Sikkema had about his game entering last season — was mostly ironed out.

And ultimately, Sikkema was offering a lofty comparison for Harrison and his well-rounded abilities to beat coverage and come away with the football.

“He reminds me a lot of a taller version of Davante Adams,” Sikkema said. “And obviously he has a ways to go to being that at an NFL level, but if you watch how he won at the college level, it was like a college version of what we see with Davante Adams and how he wins in the NFL. Elite releases, fantastic route runner, good catch through traffic, really nice speed. Because Davante’s not the fastest burner out there. He’s not the biggest or strongest guy. But he is all of those things combined at a decently high level — and honestly, as one of the best receivers in the game, that’s insulting to him. A very high level. And that was Marvin Harrison Jr. this past year. I cannot pass up on a player like that.”