Houston Texans’ C.J. Stroud reveals why his former teammate Marvin Harrison Jr. should be the first wide receiver taken during the 2024 NFL Draft.

The NFL Draft begins Thursday night, posing a huge opportunity for every NFL team to patch holes and bring potential-filled prospects to their roster.

This draft is a particularly big opportunity for a team like the Houston Texans. They saw quarterback C.J. Stroud emerge as a star a season ago. As a rookie, he led the team to a playoff victory before losing in the Divisional Round. There’s plenty of potential with the team, and they’ve made win-now moves to back it up.

Building around Stroud should be the Texans’ top priority as they’ve got a huge opportunity to win big while he’s on his rookie contract. He should even have some input as to who the team puts around him — to an extent.

A week ago, Stroud lobbied as to why his former Ohio State Buckeyes teammate and recent standout Marvin Harrison Jr. should be the first wide receiver taken during the 2024 NFL Draft.

“Put on the tape. He’s done it really from his freshman year, his true freshman year, to now,” Stroud said. “When you talk about it — I think I read something like he’s NFL ready, but other guys have more potential. That makes no sense. Like what?”

Harrison Jr. finished his career with 2,613 receiving yards and 31 receiving touchdowns over his three-year career. In 2022, playing with Stroud, Harrison Jr. caught 77 passes for 1,263 receiving yards and 14 receiving touchdowns.

“You want longevity. You want someone who has been doing it,” Stroud continued. “For him, that’s what he sleeps, eats and breathes. He’s a worthy talent, but his work ethic and how he gravitates that room.”

If anyone is to know that about Harrison Jr., his former quarterback might just be the guy to understand that. The Texans have talent in the wide reciever room, though. They traded for Stefon Diggs, pairing him with Tank Dell and Nico Collins. Still, Harrison Jr. would be a high upside pick.

“For me, I think I would love to play with him again,” Stroud said. “I probably won’t get that opportunity for a while, but I’m super proud of him. Whoever’s up there man, be smart. Don’t be
dumb. Don’t think too hard.”

As Stroud alluded to, he probably won’t play with Harrison Jr. for a while. The Texans don’t necessarily need his talents and can use their draft capital to built depth and fill holes elsewhere on the roster.