ARIZONA -- Arizona Cardinals WR Marvin Harrison Jr.'s rookie season has been subject to plenty of discourse on both a national and local level.
Harrison - despite putting up 62 receptions for 885 yards and eight touchdowns - was considered a disappointment given his overall inconsistency and inability to transform Arizona's offense as the No. 4 overall pick.
In a re-do of the 2024 NFL Draft ran by Sports Illustrated's Daniel Flick, the Cardinals take an alternative route.
Rather than Harrison, the Cardinals do stick at receiver - but Brian Thomas Jr. is the name announced at the podium.
"Thomas finished one spot ahead of Malik Nabers in AP Offensive Rookie of the Year voting and led all rookie receivers with 1,282 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns. His 87 receptions finished third-best among all first-year players," wrote Flick.
"Harrison had a solid rookie season and should be a premier piece in Arizona’s offense moving forward, but Thomas led the way in a deep 2024 receiving class."
Thomas ultimately had more production - and so too did Nabers - though numbers undoubtedly need context.
Harrison - who isn't even Arizona's top passing target thanks to the presence of tight end Trey McBride - struggled to get going out of the gates thanks to little time on task with quarterback Kyler Murray, which led to numerous missed opportunities in 2024.
Combine that with the Cardinals operating primarily out of a run-first offense, and Harrison's ability to truly impact the game compared to his rookie counterparts was already at a disadvantage.
2025 will look to be a different story, as Harrison has bulked up and could see a sophomore surge.
When meeting with reporters this offseason, Harrison was focused on team goals rather than personal accolades.
"I think you got to make the playoffs," Harrison said. "I think this is the year that I feel like we want to do what we need to do. We have all the pieces we need. We just got to go out there and execute at this point.
"That's why they brought me here to help this team win games."
While Thomas and Nabers are undoubtedly talented players, the Cardinals are extremely confident in Harrison piecing together a strong second campaign in the desert.
If given another opportunity, Arizona would again run to the podium and select Harrison once more - even after what they've seen from Harrison and his counterparts in just one season.