Arizona Cardinals’ Odds to Draft Marvin Harrison, Jr. Strengthen After NFL Scouting Combine

The NFL Scouting Combine is a testing ground for draft prospects and a gossip-fest for the media that covers the league.

While plenty of smokescreens are being tossed out, legitimate information can also be gleaned.

One of the biggest developments was the solidifying belief that the Patriots plan to take a quarterback with the No. 3 overall pick in the draft, following the footsteps of the Bears and Commanders before them.

If that is the case, the Cardinals will be in prime position to select Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison, Jr. at No. 4, and the betting markets are finding that to be the increasingly-likely scenario.

Harrison to the Cardinals has strengthened to -280 odds at FanDuel, which equates to an implied probability of 73.7% that he lands in the desert. Harrison sat at -200 odds of joining Arizona before the combine.

Here is a look at the odds of the top five candidates to select Marvin Harrison, Jr. in the draft. No other team is listed with a shot of better than 40/1 odds.

Team to Draft Marvin Harrison, Jr.

• Cardinals -280
• Patriots +500
• Bears +900
• Chargers +1400
• Commanders +1800

There is one potential wrench in this pairing.

Diana Russini, a respected insider with The Athletic, reported that “some in the league believe (the Cardinals) are open to trading back” from No. 4 to gain more draft capital.

Arizona GM Monti Ossenfort traded back from No. 3 overall a year ago, bypassing the chance to take star edge rusher Will Anderson to add an extra first-round pick and more from the Texans.

Even if Arizona only drops to 6 in a deal with the Giants, the Chargers would seem like a good fit for Harrison, Jr. seeing as they have a star quarterback and aging wide receivers.

A trade back would likely be predicated on the stock of Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy, who has impressive physical tools but is still pretty raw as a quarterback.

While Caleb Williams, Drake Maye and Jayden Daniels seem to be locking down the top three spots in the draft, it’s hard to know if a team would truly give up copious draft capital to move up to four and take a risk on McCarthy.

He has previously been projected to go outside of the top-10. 

The Cardinals could stick at 4 and consider some of the other top prospects, like Notre Dame tackle Joe Alt, LSU wide receiver Malik Nabers or Washington wideout Rome Odunze, but at this point, drafting Harrison or trading down certainly seem to be the most likely outcomes.

The Cardinals have been the odds-on favorites to draft Harrison, Jr. since FanDuel unveiled the wager, and after more information was gathered at the Combine, that pairing seems even more realistic.