You remember the buzz. February 2024 rolls around, and everyone is glued to their screens waiting to see the most hyped wide receiver prospect in a decade run a 40-yard dash. Then? Silence. No cleats hitting the turf. No orange spandex.
Basically, the Marvin Harrison Jr. combine story isn't about what happened in Indianapolis. It is about what didn't happen.
While every other draft hopeful was sweating through shuttle runs and bench presses, Harrison Jr. was nowhere to be found on the field at Lucas Oil Stadium. He was there, sure. He did the measurements—6-foot-3, 209 pounds—and he talked to teams. But the actual "athletic testing"? Hard pass.
Why he actually skipped the drills
Honestly, it was a power move.
Most players use the combine to "boost their stock." If you're a second-round talent and you run a 4.32, suddenly you're a first-rounder. But where was Harrison going to go? Up? He was already the consensus WR1. He was already a projected top-five pick.
🔗 Read more: Raheem Morris and the Atlanta Falcons: Why This Second Chance Actually Feels Different
He didn't need a stopwatch to tell scouts he was fast. He had three years of Ohio State tape doing that against Big Ten corners.
Harrison Jr. and his father—yeah, the Hall of Famer—decided that training to "run in a straight line in underwear" was a waste of time. Instead, he stayed in Columbus and kept working with Mickey Marotti, the Buckeyes' strength coach. He was training to play actual football, not to win a track meet.
The "Mystery" of the Pro Day
People thought, "Okay, fine, he'll do the Ohio State Pro Day in March."
Nope.
He skipped that too. It’s pretty rare for a healthy, top-tier prospect to skip both the combine and their pro day. Usually, even the "locks" will at least catch some passes from their college QB to show off for the cameras. Harrison didn't care about the optics. He reportedly asked the nine teams he met with if they needed to see him work out.
Their answer? "We're good."
When you've got back-to-back seasons with over 1,200 yards and 14 touchdowns, the data is already on the table. You’ve seen the 22.2 MPH GPS tracking from his touchdown against Youngstown State. A 40-yard dash in Indianapolis wasn't going to tell the Arizona Cardinals anything they didn't already know from the film.
Did it actually hurt his draft stock?
Short answer: Not even a little bit.
There was some hand-wringing on sports talk radio about "competitiveness" and "red flags," but the NFL didn't blink. The Cardinals still took him at No. 4 overall. He was the first non-quarterback off the board.
Think about the leverage that requires. You basically tell the entire NFL scouting apparatus, "I don't need your tests," and they still hand you a $35 million guaranteed contract.
Breaking the "Standard" Process
What Harrison Jr. did at the combine might have actually changed the game for future superstars.
Usually, the combine is a forced-entry event. If you don't show up, people assume you're hiding an injury or you're out of shape. But Harrison was so polished—such a "pro's pro" before he even got drafted—that he made the testing look optional.
- Measurements: 6'3", 209 lbs.
- 40-Yard Dash: DNP (Did Not Participate).
- Vertical Jump: DNP.
- Broad Jump: DNP.
He didn't even hire an agent for the process. He just did things his way.
The Rookie Reality
Fast forward to his time with the Arizona Cardinals. All that "missing data" from the combine? It didn't matter when he was torching the Rams for two touchdowns in a single quarter during his rookie month.
He finished his first NFL season with 62 catches, 885 yards, and 8 touchdowns. Solid? Yes. "Generational" right out of the gate? Maybe not quite yet, but the transition proved that his skipping the combine was a total non-issue for his actual on-field performance.
What you can learn from the "No-Show"
If you're looking for the takeaway here, it's about knowing your value.
Marvin Harrison Jr. knew that his body of work at Ohio State was his resume. He didn't need to perform for the "underwear Olympics" because he had already won the Biletnikoff Award.
If you're following a similar path—maybe not in the NFL, but in any high-stakes career—it's a reminder that sometimes the best move is to let your actual work speak for itself rather than jumping through performative hoops.
How to evaluate a prospect without combine numbers:
- Look at GPS game speed: It’s more accurate than a timed 40-yard dash.
- Check the "Release" variety: How do they handle press coverage on tape?
- Route Depth: Are they running the full tree or just go-routes?
- Production vs. Competition: Did they disappear against top-tier CBs?
Harrison checked every one of those boxes. If you're a scout, you don't need a vertical leap measurement when you can see him high-pointing a ball over a 6-foot corner in the end zone.
Next time the combine rolls around and a top player sits out, don't panic. Just turn on the tape.