Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr.’s rookie season was full of ups and downs.

Similar to the rest of Arizona’s offense, consistency has been difficult for the No. 4 overall pick.

In a week, he will have 21 yards on three catches. Next time he’ll haul in six balls for 111 yards.

The lightning was there. The accumulation of strong performances was not successful, resulting in high expectations not being met.

But even with the ups and downs surrounding Harrison’s first NFL go-around, he still has a chance to accomplish something his father, Marvin Harrison Sr., and Larry Fitzgerald failed to do as rookies:

Reach the 1,000 yard mark.

Now it would take a career-high from Harrison – whose season-high is 130 yards per game – but 178 is at least achievable.

Seeing what Harrison caught on tape in last week’s loss to the Los Angeles Rams, when he caught six balls for 96 yards and got a different look in offensive coordinator Drew Petzing’s system, helps with that mindset.

If Harrison had hit a few more of those ten goals, he could have gotten much closer to the mark he needs this week.

That being said, Harrison will have a lot of work to do against a 49ers secondary that is allowing just three 100-yard games to opposing receivers in 2024. These include Minnesota’s Justin Jefferson (133), Seattle’s Jaxson Smith-Njigba (110) and Dallas’ CeeDee Lamb (146).

Leading the way for San Francisco is cornerback Deommodore Lenior with two interceptions, nine passes defended and 85 tackles. He was a problem for opposing quarterbacks.

He’s also been injured, having missed training on Wednesday and Thursday due to a shoulder problem. If he were to miss this week’s game, it would be a huge blow to the 49ers’ defense and a huge advantage for Harrison and the rest of Arizona’s wide receivers.

But a thousand yards or not, Harrison still had a lot to take away from first class.

Arizona Cardinals WR Marvin Harrison Jr. reflects on his rookie year and what he will take away from year one.

“I’m just looking forward to continuing to make progress.” pic.twitter.com/JHLTdjRJhD

— Tyler Drake (@Tdrake4sports) January 1, 2025

“I never thought I couldn’t do it. I always had confidence in myself, confidence in my abilities, that I could do it,” Harrison said. “I think you definitely learn a lot in your rookie year. Personally, I’m just looking forward to continuing to make progress.

“It’s just exciting. It’s exciting football,” the rookie added when asked about his key takeaways from this year. “You have to get better every week. Every week is a new challenge against different systems and other players.”

Possible bragging rights for Marvin Harrison Jr.?

Even if Harrison doesn’t reach the 1,000-yard mark as a rookie, he can still surpass his father’s rookie reception mark (836) with 15 receiving yards on Sunday.

Only twice this season did Harrison fail to gain at least 15 yards. The first was the loss to Buffalo in Week 1. The second was against Green Bay after he left due to a concussion. Both, in their own right, strange plays for the wideout.

What are the extra bragging rights that come with surpassing the old man’s rookie mark?

Next joke.

As far as Cardinals WR Marvin Harrison Jr. possibly having bragging rights at his father for overtaking his rookie competition this week?

“There’s not a lot of showing off, I’ll tell you that. There’s still a long way to go.” 😂 pic.twitter.com/Q5EV3knRts

— Tyler Drake (@Tdrake4sports) January 1, 2025

“There’s not a lot of showing off, I’ll tell you that,” Harrison said with a smile. “Still a long way to go.”

He’s right. A gold jacket certainly carries more weight than a rookie season.

Follow @Tdrake4sports