Ohio State’s reigning Biletnikoff Award–winning receiver hasn’t hired an agent. He also didn’t engage in the pre-combine training that most other players do ahead of Indianapolis. And all signs show Harrison’s plan is to continue working out in Columbus, Ohio with Buckeye strength and conditioning tycoon Mickey Marotti, among others, to prepare not to run a 40-yard dash, but play football in the fall.
Why?
Well, first of all, because he can. After putting up two consecutive 1,200-yard, 14-touchdown seasons to cap off his three years at Ohio State, Harrison has positioned himself to go inside the top five this April. He’s regarded as the best NFL receiver prospect since Julio Jones and A.J. Green in 2011, and maybe the best since Calvin Johnson went second overall in ’07. It’s been assumed now for well over a year that Harrison will be the top receiver in this April’s draft.
He can simply tell NFL teams to turn on the tape—how he runs a 40, or a three-cone drill, or routes on air probably won’t change how high he’s going to go. His sterling reputation as a worker and a person also give Harrison even more flexibility here. That allows everyone to view Harrison’s plan as strictly a business decision, made with an eye towards having a great rookie year, rather than as some reflection on his character.
The funny thing is that it’s not all that different from the decisions made by teams, more and more these days, to keep their coaching staffs home from Indianapolis. Those choices are said to be made because the benefit of going is outweighed by the work that can be done by staying home. In this case, Harrison is not quite staying home, but it’s similar in that there’s a greater benefit for a player of his caliber to get ready for the season, rather than for the standardized physical testing that’s been done at the combine and at Pro Days for decades.
Of course, it doesn’t help the NFL (as it tries to turn the combine into entertainment property) that Harrison’s doing things this way, or that his decision could set a trend for elite players going forward. But this way, no one’s spending six figures to get him ready for the combine, as agents often do on the very best prospects, and, really, there’s no reason for a 21-year-old to concern himself with what works for Park Avenue.
We’ll see soon enough what sort of effect this has on the way people talk about the player who was the best receiver in the college game over the last two years. My guess is there won’t be much of one.
