The offseason ‘Hard Knocks’ with the Giants has been one of the most fascinating additions to the series in a long time. It’s been a chance to go deep into the scouting process and watch how teams prepare for the NFL Draft, as well as how they try to put prospects under pressure to mess up.
Marvin Harrison Jr. masterfully dodged the Giants’ bait on ‘Hard Knocks’
This was a veteran answer from the rookie.
James Dator has been covering a wide range of sports for SB Nation for over a decade, with a special focus on the NFL.
On Tuesday night it was Marvin Harrison Jr’s turn, and the Giants did their best to try and bait the top WR in the 2024 class into turning on his QB Kyle McCord. Instead we got a masterful response from a young man who already understands exactly what to do.
Harrison sat down to watch his own film with WR coach Mike Groh when his QB was served up on a platter.
Groh: You got a young guy, he’s growing in the position — you beat a guy like this and you’ve got a chance for a touchdown, he underthrows it. What are you coming back to the huddle saying to him?
Harrison Jr.: I don’t say nothing to quarterbacks. I don’t say nothing to quarterbacks.
Groh: I mean, it’s a shit throw, right?
Harrison Jr.: I mean ... I can make a play. I can make a play still. I would never say anything to the quarterback. I’d always blame it on myself because I wanna make the play.
It would have been so easy to bolster his own stock at the expense of a young QB, or justify one bad clip to a Top 5 team by agreeing that it was a bad throw — but Harrison Jr. didn’t do it. Instead he turned it into being about what he could have done to make the throw a success, and totally own his role in the moment.
This was absolutely masterful work by Harrison Jr, and proof why he’s going to be a star.
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