Ex-Pro Bowl DE Vanden Bosch: Smart to Build Upfront, But Cardinals Can’t Pass on ‘Game-Changing’ Marvin Harrison, Jr.

Kyle Vanden Bosch played in the trenches.

The three-time Pro Bowl defensive end thinks teams should build through the trenches.

But if Marvin Harrison, Jr. is still on the board at No. 4 in April, Vanden Bosch doesn't hesitate: an offensive line selection will have to wait for the Cardinals.

“When you have somebody that is potentially a generational-type talent, you’ve got to go best player available,” said Vanden Bosch, a former second-round pick of the Cardinals and current radio analyst. “I’m a firm believer in building the offensive line, building the defensive line. You can make up for deficiencies at cornerback or safety if you have a pass-rush that’s constantly putting the quarterback under duress.

“But I have also been around the game long enough to know that when you have an opportunity to bring in a special, game-changing-type talent, you jump at that.”

Vanden Bosch has a great frame of reference.

In 2004, he played with then-Cardinals rookie Larry Fitzgerald. From 2010-12, he played alongside Calvin Johnson with the Lions.

“You know immediately (when a player is different),” Vanden Bosch said. “Everybody appreciates what players like that do on Sundays, but when you’re in a locker room and see them make special plays routinely in practice, you know what you have and you know how special it is.”

Vanden Bosch said a star receiving threat will affect a defense in myriad ways.

“It’s not just their production,” Vanden Bosch said. “It’s what they do to a defense, what they do to a defensive coordinator in their preparations. It’s how teams play them. We saw that in Arizona with a player like D-Hop. He had the ability to change games, not just with his production, but he dictated coverages and made things simple for the offense. 

“There are only so many certain things you can do on defense when you’re bracketing the best receiver and trying to take him out of the game. What that does is, it adds the hidden production to everybody else. Your running game is better. Your No. 2 receiver gets more targets. The spacing on the field is better because you know exactly what you’re going to see.”

Harrison is widely-regarded as the best non-quarterback prospect in the draft, and it's possible he goes in the top-three.

If that happens, the Cardinals could seriously consider Notre Dame tackle Joe Alt or Penn State tackle Olu Fashanu at No. 4 overall.

The defense also needs major help upfront, and a trade down could put them in range to draft an impact pass-rusher and add draft capital.

But if Harrison is available at 4, there is little debate.

“I remember we played Dallas and Calvin Johnson was getting double-teamed, even triple-teamed, and every read told Matthew Stafford to go away from Calvin Johnson,” Vanden Bosch said. “He kept throwing to him and they couldn’t do anything about it. When you have a guy that can not only beat single coverage on a consistent basis, but when you have a guy that can beat double teams because of his skillset, his catch radius, his ball skills, that completely changes an offense.”

The Cardinals found a groove down the stretch in 2023, totaling more than 400 yards of offense in three of their final four games.

They did so without a legitimate star on the perimeter, as the running game and tight end Trey McBride did the heavy lifting.

Harrison, Jr. would add another dimension.

“The offense is close,” Vanden Bosch said. “You add one explosive player, and that offense looks completely different, like even more of a threat.”