SPORTS

Nick Marshall does well in Combine tests, not passing

James Crepea
Montgomery Advertiser
Auburn quarterback Nick Marshall ran a 4.54-second 40-yard dash, second best among QBs to only Marcus Mariota’s 4.52.

INDIANAPOLIS --Nick Marshall's athletic ability had never been in doubt, but he backed up his talents with some very results in the of-field tests at the NFL Combine on Saturday.

The former Auburn quarterback ran a 4.54-second 40-yard dash, second best among QBs to only Marcus Mariota's 4.52, and eighth best by a QB since 2006.

Marshall also had a quarterback-best 37.5-inch vertical and 124-inch broad jump, second best among signal callers.

With his position still in question, Marshall threw at the Combine but also performed cornerback drills on the side.

NFL Network analyst and former Super Bowl winning Baltimore Ravens coach Brian Billick, did not feel Marshall performed well at quarterback.

"(Nick) Marshall should just put on his DB colors & get ready for Monday's drills," Billick tweeted. "Drop back & arm action is terribly inconsistent...not a QB."

Marshall's measureables could stack up well among a comparatively weak cornerback class.

His vertical is tied for 15th among cornerbacks in the past two Combines, matching former Florida State corner and St. Louis Rams safety Lamarcus Joyner.

"I don't see him as a quarterback and I don't think most of the league does," NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock said. "I'm evaluating him as a corner. He's long, he's athletic. He's got a long way to go as a corner but he's the kind of guy that you want to take and develop in a later round if possible and I think that's what's going to happen."