STRENGTHS
Marcell is a red zone touchdown maker, a move the chains demon and a two minute come from behind type of receiver that quarterbacks dream about having on their team. He has excellent size and his hand eye coordination is excellent also. He can beat double teams with his size and is one of the best receivers in this draft class at adjusting to the ball while it’s in the air and catching contested passes. Marcell is smart and is a very good blocker but what I like the most about him is that he wants the ball in adverse times in a game and has a very big catch radius. He has a bit of a nasty streak to his game and is adept at using his size to his advantage when running his routes. Marcell has good run after the catch skills using a stiff arm and his long legs to defeat tackles and make the extra needed yardage when it is needed the most. Marcell reminds me a lot of former Texans WR André Johnson.

CONCERNS
Marcell has a bit of a nasty streak and this could lead to penalties at times in a game. Marcell will be going up against much bigger corner’s in the NFL than at the college level and although the physical nature he plays with will come in handy he must become an overall sharper and quicker route runner and learn how to sell his routes much better to impact. I suspect Marcell will run at the combine in the 4.60 range and this will turn some teams off from selecting him early. Of course that will be a big mistake.

BOTTOM LINE
Marcell has the potential to become a franchise receiver. That’s a receiver that everyone in the stadium knows the ball is going to be passed to him and Marcell still makes the catch against all kinds of physical play and double coverage. Some teams franchise receivers have become their tight ends and most of them run in the 4.6 range so suggesting because Marcell might not time well at the combine that this is the reason a team should not draft him early is just a joke. Many receivers who have run in the 4.60 range have been selected in the first round and have become hall of fame and franchise receivers. Nevertheless, Marcell will have to be taught how to “sell” his routes better just like any receiver coming out of the college level. Marcell can be used inside or outside in the red zone and in the middle of the field you can use him in the slot. When used in the slot his big body and catch radios will be difficult to match up with. When used on the outside his long legs and long arms will once again be a difficult matchup for most corners. In a two minute drill Marcell can catch anything thrown to him on the outside completing the catch and getting out of bounds quickly because of his catch radius and how difficult it will be to bring him down in bounds. In the red zone with that big body and toughness, slant routes, fades and just about any other route you can think of with him in motion will become a head banger for defensive coordinators to think about how they can defend him. He is big with strong hands and is one of the best receivers in this draft with the ability to adjust to the ball in the air. These tall receivers with acrobatic abilities to adjust to the ball are excellent two minute drill, come from behind receivers and every team needs one of those if they want to have the ability to come from behind to win the game.

Drew Boylhart   JAN.2018