Nick Marshall has heard for several years that he sprayed the ball around too much as a passer. He has been told he was not tall enough to play quarterback. He has heard and been told that his skills as a quarterback did not translate to the NFL.
The former Auburn quarterback finally decided Tuesday — abruptly and without warning — that maybe he wasn’t suited to be a professional quarterback and that if he wanted to make a living in pro ball, he would bow to the critics.
At the Senior Bowl media night, he declared that he was now a cornerback.
Just like that, the quarterback who led Auburn to the national championship game in 2013 and passed for 4,508 yards and 34 touchdowns in two seasons, while running for 1,866 yards and 23 scores, bolted for the other side of the line of scrimmage.
“It was best for me and my near future,” Marshall said.
He said he didn’t consult the NFL about the switch, but he didn’t have to. He is 6 feet 1 and a read-option quarterback, a skill set that would not endear him to professional scouts and team officials.
“Thirty-two doors would be open to him as a defensive back because he is a great athlete,” said Phil Savage, the CEO of the Senior Bowl and a former general manager and scout. “There might have been five or six doors open as a quarterback.”
Marshall said he didn’t consult his college coach or his college teammates. He said he did not consult with NFL clubs. An NFL scout who is familiar with the SEC, but cannot be quoted on the record about draft prospects, said he wrote up Marshall as a defensive back two weeks ago. The NFL anticipated Marshall’s move.
“Nobody else’s decision but mine and my momma’s,” Marshall said.
ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper said Marshall could land in draft’s third round.
Surrounded by media Tuesday, Marshall first said he would not miss playing quarterback, then said maybe a little. Asked why he thought he could not play the position in the NFL, Marshall said, “I like my chances at cornerback.”
Marshall, who is from Pineview in Wilcox County, was invited here as a QB and caught Senior Bowl officials by surprise with his decision.
It was Auburn coach Gus Malzahn who lobbied hard for Marshall to be included in the game as a quarterback. A spot opened when UCLA quarterback Brett Hundley and Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota turned down invitations.
Marshall’s abrupt switch means less repetitions for the other “invited” defensive backs this week and more reps for the South quarterbacks, Alabama’s Blake Sims and Colorado State’s Garrett Grayson.
One practice was far too soon for Marshall to receive feedback from the several hundred NFL scouts here, but there was some non-official feedback. Kansas State wide receiver Tyler Lockett ran a deep route on Marshall in a scrimmage. Lockett made a jab-step fake as if he would run a post to the middle of the field, then cut up the field and got separation from Marshall to catch a long ball.
“Couple things I have to brush up on,” said Marshall, who will also get work here on special teams.
Marshall played defensive back at Georgia for one season before he was dismissed from the program. Before he left Georgia, then-offensive coordinator Mike Bobo nicknamed Marshall “Dr. Death” for his ferocious play on defense in 2012. Bobo and defensive coordinator Todd Grantham both said Marshall was such an exceptional athlete, he would play defensive back in the NFL.
Marshall did not stay long enough in Athens to make a name for himself there, but he did make a name for himself at the Bulldogs’ expense on Nov. 16, 2013. Georgia led Auburn 38-37 with 25 seconds left and the Tigers faced fourth-and-18 from their 27-yard line. Marshall flung a pass deep over the middle, which was tipped by a defender into the hands of receiver Ricardo Louis for the winning touchdown.
