Nick Marshall NFL Draft Stock Improved By Position Change? Auburn QB to Play DB in Senior Bowl
ByNick Marshall's path to the NFL has been anything but simple, and it is not yet finished.
Next for the Auburn QB is the Senior Bowl, where he will play as defensive back, because that is the position he thinks will give him the best shot at being drafted.
According to ESPN, he decided to switch his position ahead of the NFL Draft after talking it over with his family. At Senior Bowl practice Tuesday, Marshall practiced as a quarterback, defensive back and special teams gunner.
If nothing else, Marshall wants to prove he is versatile.
"It went well today," Marshall told the official Auburn football website. "There are just a couple of things I have to brush up on. It's going to be a challenge for me to switch from quarterback to defensive back, but I'm willing to accept that challenge."
He played cornerback at Georgia before the school dismissed him and he transferred to Auburn. Over the past two seasons, Marshall was explosive as a dual-threat quarterback in an option offense that utilized the run game heavily. His decision appears to indicate he has recognized his success at QB for Auburn would not translate to the NFL.
But at six-foot-one and 210 pounds, Marshall is a good size for a defensive back and he has exhibited athleticism, speed and agility while playing quarterback. The key will be getting his old instincts as a defensive player back.
"I just feel cornerback will fit me more in the league," Marshall told ESPN. "I just have to get my technique down and I'll be OK."
In last year's draft class, Michigan dual-threat quarterback Denard Robinson went to the Jacksonville Jaguars and later switched to running back, a position in which he thrived in the latter part of the season. The Jaguars' staff will be coaching the South team in the Senior Bowl, so Gus Bradley will get a close look at Marshall with Robinson's success in the back of his mind.