Overview
Position: Running Back
Height: 5’10”
Weight: 213 pounds
School: South Florida Bulls
Combine Performance Data
40-yard dash: 4.50 seconds
Bench press: 15 reps
Vertical jump: 35.5 inches
Broad jump: 10 feet, 5 inches (tied for fourth among running backs)
Marlon Mack 2017 NFL Draft Profile
A top-50 running back prospect out of high school, Marlon Mack garnered a great deal of interest from Power Five schools. It included scholarship offers from two Big Ten schools in Indiana and Michigan. But the Sarasota, FL native ultimately committed to South Florida and made his mark during his three seasons there.
Mack became an instant impact player in the Bulls run game. As a true freshman, he led the American Athletic Conference with 1,041 yards rushing while adding nine touchdowns. It led to him getting named conference rookie of the year along with making the AAC all-conference first team.
The following season, he repeated the feat with an AAC leading 1,381 yards on the ground and found the end zone nine times (eight rushing, one receiving). That yardage total put him in the top 20 among running backs in FBS. USF named him team co-MVP at season’s end.
His yardage total declined (1,187 rush yards) during his junior season but his ability to register touchdowns did not. He finished with 15 scores, one of 21 running backs in the nation to do so. His contribution helped USF finish third in FBS with 47 rushing touchdowns in 2016.
Mack rewrote the USF record book during his three-year stint with the program. He finished as the Bulls’ all-time leader in rushing yards, yards from scrimmage, touchdowns and 100 yard games. All in all, he owns a total of 14 school records.
Strengths
- thick, compact frame able to absorb contact;
- makes would be tacklers miss with above average lateral push;
- exceptional pass-catching back who saw a lot of action lined up out wide;
- plus-level run skills and instincts;
- possesses breakaway speed once unleashed in the open field;
- proven to be durable with no major injury red flags.
Weaknesses
- doesn’t hit the line of scrimmage with enough urgency at times;
- overly panicky in venturing to the perimeter when running lanes close between the tackles;
- fumbled the ball 12 times while at USF;
- too quick to run straight into defenders as opposed to looking for pockets of space upfield;
- needs to show more consistent play after play intensity.
NFL Comparison: Lamar Miller
Teams With Need at Position: Carolina Panthers, Cleveland Browns, Kansas City Chiefs, New England Patriots, New York Giants, New York Jets, Philadelphia Eagles, Pittsburgh Steelers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Projection: Late third to early fourth round
Bottom Line
A 1,000+ yard rusher for all three of his seasons in college, Mack possesses plenty of traits you want to see out of a running back prospect. His lateral movement and open field speed are as good as it gets. And his ability to catch passes out of the backfield and in traditional wide receiver sets means he’ll regularly see the field on third down. That said, he’ll need to improve as a runner between the tackles if he doesn’t want to get his team in trouble with three and outs because they can’t establish the run. There are also concerns about persistent fumbling issues. All in all, scheme fit will be key in terms of optimizing Mack’s skill set at the next level.
