STRENGTHS
Marshawn has the lower body strength and bulk that along with his speed and agility makes him an intriguing and potential starting running back for the team that selects him. He has that “cinder block” body, that makes it difficult to tackle him low because of his lower body strength and his short 5’ 9” stature makes it a struggle for tacklers to find him coming out of the backfield too. Marshawn does a good job catching the ball down the field showing his athletic talent and excellent hand-eye coordination. Marshawn has the speed and quick cutting agility to take the ball to the outside as well as the strength to run between the tackles. Marshawn has the potential to be a starting running back for the team that selects him if…he can improve his skill set in two important areas.
CONCERNS
Marshawn fumbles and you can’t have a running back on the field who fumbles. Nevertheless, that can be corrected. Still…it will affect his draft status. The other issue is pass blocking. Marshawn is built like a cinder block. A Cinder block is a stabilizing piece of concrete with 2 or 3 holes and unless you have multiple blocks stacked up on top of each other, they are not going to be effective blocking very much. One Marshawn blocking in the backfield will not be enough cinder blocks.
BOTTOM LINE: 3.44
Marshawn is not ever going to be a good pass blocker. His body type makes that difficult for him more than his lack of size. He can be used in the slot and as a check-down receiver but it’s best for him to be running a route in the open field because once again, his body type and not his stature makes it hard to find him. He is a very good running back with the ability to find holes, follow blockers, and make needed yardage because of his lower body strength and balance. There are times when he thinks he is a finesse runner and tries to do too much cutting back but that can be addressed and corrected. Even the lack of body type to block can be worked around but fumbling…that cannot be worked around and until he can prove that fumbling will no longer be an issue it will be hard for a team to select him early in this draft and put him on the field giving him enough touches to impact. If Marshawn can correct the fumbling issue and build trust, he can become an impact running back for the team that selects him. By the way, his body type and style of running lends itself to more longevity than most other running back. So, you see how his cinder block body type taketh away and how it can, giveth.
