Former Georgia standout Keith Marshall, who was drafted by Washington in the seventh round of the 2016 draft, is set to make his NFL debut against the Falcons at 7 p.m. tonight at the Georgia Dome.
Marshall is listed as the third running back behind Matt Jones and Chris Thompson on Washington’s depth chart.
Marshall, 5-foot-11 and 219 pounds, ran the 40-yard dash in 4.31 seconds and bench-pressed 225 pounds 25 times at the NFL scouting combine, which were both top marks for a running back.
Marshall, a former five-star recruit, got off to a dazzling start to his career at Georgia in 2012. He rushed for 759 yards and eight touchdowns in 14 games, with one start. But injuries marred his college career after the good start.
Washington, which elected not to re-sign Alfred Morris, entered the draft looking to improve its rushing attack.
Washington rushed for 97.9 yards per game last season, which ranked 20th in the league. Washington averaged 3.65 yards per rush play, which was 30th in the league.
Marshall is having a good training camp.
“He came in right away and got a hamstring, so it was like, oh, (son-of-a-gun), we’re not going to see what he’s got,” Washington general manager Scot McCloughan said recently on SiriusXM NFL radio. “But out here, in the last week, he’s a one cut guy, and when he puts his foot in the ground, he can fly. He’s 220 and he can fly.”
The Redskins want to have a tandem and may have room to use three running backs.
“Keith’s done a really good job,” McCloughan said. “A really good job.”
Marshall has looked good in non-tackling drills. Against the Falcons, there will be live tackling.
"I feel like we've been able to show them a lot of stuff, but getting tackled, taken to the ground, that's a big part of being a running back," Marshall told Breaking Burgundy. "That's the last thing to show."
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