Wide receiver Nick Marsh caught 100 passes for Michigan State in his first two years of college football. He elected to transfer to Indiana via the portal in January. How does he project as an NFL Draft prospect?
Nick Marsh 2027 NFL Draft Early Scouting Report
Measurables
Height: 6’3”
Weight: 213 lbs
Statistics
2025: 59 receptions, 662 yards, and six touchdowns.
2024: 41 receptions, 649 yards, and three touchdowns.
The Tape
Games Watched: at Southern California, at Indiana, and Maryland.
Strengths
Marsh has excellent size and has experience at boundary “X” as well as at the “Z” position. If NFL scouts view him as a pro “X”, it will lift his stock.
Marsh has a mixed release package, but he is impressive at getting across the face of cornerbacks. He shows quick feet, and after faking an outside release, he will redirect quickly and explode off the line to create separation. He will fit an offense that uses lots of quick slants.
This release is much better from Nick Marsh. Bottom of the screen – no hops/skips – more direct and gives him a better chance.#NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/tviTAJlARH
— Paul Emery (@UKDraftFan) June 23, 2026
Marsh has a nice feel against zone coverage. He adjusts his routes to find soft spots in zone coverage routinely and presents a nice target for his quarterback.
Marsh makes every effort to catch the ball away from his frame, and coupled with his size, he has a large catch radius.
Areas to Improve
Given that Marsh’s frame is impressive, he needs to get much stronger. He can get knocked off his spot by physical coverage and is ineffective in contested catch situations. Right now, he doesn’t project well at boundary “X” as he wouldn’t hold up physically.
Given that he's 6'3" 213 lbs, Nick Marsh gets bullied here. He's at the bottom of the screen – maybe the corner gets away with a little pull, but Marsh needs to be stronger.#NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/RL7G4QiNyn
— Paul Emery (@UKDraftFan) June 23, 2026
While Marsh shows quickness and explodes off the line on slants, those same qualities aren’t on show in his overall route running. His cuts are rounded, and his stop-and-go double move can only be described as clunky.
Marsh struggles to separate down the field. He lacks top-end speed or an extra gear to run through the ball and pull away from coverage.
At times, Marsh’s release is less effective. He uses a hop-step release, which doesn’t get him into his route quickly enough and leads to zero separation.
Marsh does have a few too many drops. In contested situations, he gets out-muscled, but he also has some concentration drops that he will need to eradicate from his game.
Marsh isn’t a threat after the catch. His lack of strength shows as he doesn’t break tackles and lacks shiftiness to make people miss.
Key Tests in 2026
The champion’s schedule looks manageable in 2026. The first real test doesn’t come until October 17, when they host Ohio State. This is followed by a trip to Ann Arbor to face Michigan. This will allow Marsh to get comfortable with his new offense and quarterback before being really tested.
After their bye week, Indiana hosts Southern California and then visits Washington.
The full schedule can be found here.
Nick Marsh 2027 NFL Draft Projection
Marsh had good production on a poor Michigan State team. The transfer to Indiana is a fantastic opportunity for him to improve his stock. However, he will need to get much stronger in order to become an Elijah Sarratt-type receiver.
In early 2027 NFL Draft mocks, Marsh earned late first-round grades. However, the tape study shows that he has a long way to go before he can be talked about in this way.
There’s no question that the Indiana coaching staff has shown it can develop players at this position (Omar Cooper, Jr. and Sarratt in the 2025 Draft class), so the transfer is a fantastic opportunity for him. He will need to get stronger to stand up better against physical man coverage and win more contested catch battles.
With added strength, he projects as a Pat Bryant (third round, 2025 Draft) type of receiver.
Main Photo: [Brendan Mullin] – Imagn Images
