Marvin Harrison Jr. was an elite prospect and didn't even last three seasons in Arizona before he was traded

Marvin Harrison Jr. was one of the best wide receiver prospects ever.

That's why, even though he didn't work out for teams before the 2024 NFL Draft, he was still picked fourth overall by the Arizona Cardinals. The first three picks were Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels and Drake Maye, all franchise quarterbacks off to remarkable starts to their pro careers.

There was no way Harrison was going to fall flat in Arizona … until he did. On Saturday, ESPN reported Harrison will be traded after Sunday's games. When it was reported, it wasn't certain which team Harrison was going to and for what compensation, only that Harrison's career in Arizona was done.

Of all the possible outcomes for Harrison's NFL career, being done with the Cardinals and shipped off after just 33 games for far less than Arizona invested in him was practically unthinkable.

The can't-miss prospect missed, somehow. At least in his first NFL stop.

Marvin Harrison Jr. was an elite prospect

Harrison was a phenomenal college player. In 2022 he had 1,263 yards and 14 touchdowns. Then his quarterback, C.J. Stroud, went to the NFL. And in 2023 Harrison had 1,211 yards for 14 touchdowns.

It's not like Harrison was dominating bad competition. He had two 100-yard games against Michigan. He had 185 yards and then 162 against Penn State. In a bowl game against Georgia he had 102 yards and two touchdowns. He was facing high-level competition and putting up ridiculous production.

Harrison not working out at the combine or in any drills was unusual, but the results at Ohio State were so good it didn't matter. Maybe it should have. When the Cardinals picked Harrison, no reasonable draft analyst was against it. He was widely considered the top non-quarterback in that draft class.

Then the results never came. He had a respectable 885 yards and eight touchdowns as a rookie, though 130 yards and two touchdowns came in one game against the Rams and that proved to be an outlier. That was in Harrison's second game, and over the rest of his Cardinals career he had just one 100-yard game.

In Harrison's second season, when he was out due to injury, Michael Wilson had three 100-yard games and another with 99. Wilson simply looked better in the offense than the platinum prospect out of Ohio State, which was alarming. Harrison had just 608 yards and four touchdowns in 12 games last season. A new coaching staff came in. Wilson signed a three-year, $75 million contract extension in September, a sign of how much the Cardinals valued him.

And when Harrison started the season slowly, it seemed clear that he could get traded. There were just no signs that a breakout was coming.

Harrison had one catch through two games this season. A video of his routes, in which he wasn't explosive or just not playing hard enough, went viral.

The player who didn't run for scouts before the combine couldn't separate. The superstar in college who routinely put up 100 yards was the fourth option, at best, in the Cardinals' offense. He finished this season for Arizona, assuming the trade goes through, with five catches for 85 yards.

Harrison could still emerge as a good NFL receiver. He's 24 years old. It went sour in Arizona but sometimes a trade wakes up a player. Perhaps he'll do better in his new home. The reasons he was a great prospect still exist, though it's hard to remember those traits after his mediocrity with the Cardinals.

It can still happen for Harrison, but it will happen somewhere else if it does. When Arizona drafted Harrison, the Cardinals celebrated. They couldn't figure that they'd be throwing in the towel before Harrison's third season was half over.