Jonathan Marshall 2021 NFL Draft Overview
Position: Defensive tackle
Height: 6’3”
Weight: 310 pounds
School: University of Arkansas
Pro Day Results
40-yard Dash: 4.88 seconds
Vertical Jump: 32”
Broad Jump: 9 feet, 6 inches
Bench Press: 36 reps
Arm Length: 32 1/4”
Jonathan Marshall 2021 NFL Draft Profile
Jonathan Marshall came out of Shepherd High School in Shepherd, TX as a three-star recruit in 2016. He was a dominant defensive end at the high school level, was the 17th ranked player at the position in the entire country. Shortly after arriving at Arkansas in 2016, he was redshirted in order to learn the playbook, fill out his body, and work on his raw technique. He was also switched from defensive end to defensive tackle during his redshirt season. He went on to become a consistent contributor as both a rotational defensive tackle and eventual a starter over the next four years as he played in 42 total games for the Razorbacks.
Marshall is an absolute monster in some aspects, and extremely raw in others. He is a great interior pass rusher with the ability to explode off of the line and use his hands to quickly shed blocks. His elite upper body strength is evident on almost every play and his quick feet operate in perfect unison. However, having great upper body strength doesn’t help as much when it comes to remaining stout in the run game. Too often he gets blown off the line against double teams because he doesn’t have the lower body strength to anchor. In college he did a good job of moving laterally along the line of scrimmage against the run and showed the ability to shoot and sit in gaps which helped make up for a little bit of the strength issues.
Some say the main reason for his struggles at Arkansas were due to him playing out of position. His skill set is perfect for that of a 3-technique defensive tackle, but the Razorbacks used him as a 1-techinue or nose tackle for the majority of his senior year. That being said, he still needs to work on his lower body strength and power issues. If he doesn’t he is going to have a hard time making it in the NFL.
Strengths
- Elite upper body strength and power;
- Good play recognition;
- Polished hand usage against the run;
- Shows good burst off of the line;
- Insane overall athlete, he had one of the top pro days at the position;
- Adequate short-area quickness and twitch;
- Low center of gravity;
- Great tackler
Weaknesses
- Lacks lower body strength;
- Only 12 games as a full time starter;
- Erased from plays by opposing double-teams;
- Occasionally plays too “high”
NFL Comparison: Jordan Elliott
Projection: Fifth or sixth round
Teams With Need At Position: Dallas Cowboys, Las Vegas Raiders, Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions, Jacksonville Jaguars, Indianapolis Colts
Bottom Line On Jonathan Marshall
Jonathan Marshall is an extremely intriguing defensive tackle prospect. He recorded some of the best athletic testing scores in the entire history of collegiate defensive tackles. This fact alone will have multiple teams interested in him as a late-round draft pick. He would be a much better fit in the pros as a 3-technique defensive tackle rather than 1-technique, which is evident by his college career. If he can get into the right system, with great coaching, he could develop into a solid rotational or sub-package player in the NFL.
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