One of the more illuminating parts of the New York Giants’ offseason turn with Hard Knocks has been the internal draft process. Namely, how a team like the Giants tries to test (and trap) top draft prospects.
We saw it with Jayden Daniels failing to correctly recite a play back to Brian Daboll, while Drake Maye seemingly passed with flying colors under similar circumstances. Fittingly, now we have an inside look at how the Giants tried to bait now-Arizona Cardinals receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. into throwing his Ohio State quarterback under the bus.
The NFL combine sequence features Harrison Jr. sitting with members of the Giants’ brass and offensive coaching staff. New York receivers coach Mike Groh plays an Ohio State clip in which Kyle McCord throws a poor pass to Harrison. Groh tries to get Harrison Jr. to insult McCord’s passing ability, but the young receiver sees right through the trap.
He keeps repeating how he could’ve made a play on the ball and how he’ll never tell a quarterback anything about how they let him down. An expert maneuver:
Marvin Harrison Jr. was essentially set up to throw his QB (Kyle McCord) under the bus during his interview with the #Giants — but he didn't fall for the trap.
"I will never say anything to the QB. Just blame myself."
Well done for not falling for it. pic.twitter.com/cM4tNL3TTU
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) July 10, 2024
The great thing about this clip is that it’s likely exactly who Harrison Jr. is, regardless.
Sure, he was probably coached up to make himself seem as humble and put-together as possible in all draft interviews. But everything about the receiver’s pre-draft evaluation process already said Harrison would be someone who punched in, put in an honest day’s work, and then punched out. The Giants knew this, too, but they had to test him anyway.
Congratulations to the Cardinals for drafting a likely grand slam of a playmaker.