SPORTS

Nick Marshall aiming to play quarterback in NFL

James Crepea
Montgomery Advertiser
Auburn quarterback Nick Marshall (14) throws a pass before the NCAA football game between Auburn and Texas A & M on Saturday, Nov. 8, 2014, in Auburn, Ala.

AUBURN – Nick Marshall has always wanted to be a quarterback.

He won a state championship and set Georgia high school records and led turnarounds at both Garden City C.C. and Auburn as a signal caller and wants to continue playing the position at the next level.

But the question remains whether the 6-foot-1 210 pound Marshall, whose footwork, accuracy and mechanics leave a lot to be desired, can refine his skills in order to be an NFL quarterback, or if he'll have to change positions, most likely to defensive back, where he played as a freshman at Georgia.

"It's just something I have to think about," Marshall said of moving to defensive back. "As of right now, I'm open to play anything, but I'm looking to play quarterback."

There are few examples of college quarterbacks with Marshall's running prowess being able to carry those skills over into the much faster pro game.

The successes of Colin Kaepernick, Cam Newton and even the first-round selection of Johnny Manziel (6-goot 210 pounds) are far outnumbered by the list of recent quarterbacks with 1,000-yard rushing seasons to either change positions or not make it in the NFL, which includes the likes of Denard Robinson, Collin Klein, Taylor Martinez, Jordan Lynch, Julian Edelman and Pat White.

Kaepernick (6-foot-4, 230 pounds) rushed for over 1,100 yards three times but also passed for over 2,000 yards all four seasons he was at Nevada but hasn't topped 525 yards in four NFL seasons. Carolina has slightly cut back running plays for Newton (6-foot-5, 245 pounds) because of how many sacks he takes. Manziel is riding the bench during his rookie year in Cleveland and the most prolific rushing quarterback in the NFL this season, Russell Wilson, had three 3,000-yard passing seasons in college while never rushing for more than 435 yards.

Even Auburn coach Gus Malzahn stops just short of saying Marshall will be a pro quarterback, saying he's "definitely an NFL player," while lauding his abilities as a college quarterback.

"He's one of the better quarterbacks in the entire country and I feel like he's one of the better overall players in the country," Malzahn said. "I think he's much improved. I think he'll do nothing but get better. … He's got the ability to make plays with his feet; he's got a great arm."

ESPN NFL analyst Todd McShay said Marshall reminded him of Virginia Tech's Tyrod Taylor, now a backup with the Baltimore Ravens.

Malzahn and offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee trumpeted Marshall's improvements as a passer this offseason, pegging a "65 to 70" percent completion percentage as a goal, but his passing statistics are nearly identical to last season.

Marshall is completing 59.5 percent of his passes for 1,688 yards with 14 touchdowns and five interceptions with a passer efficiency of 144.28 and has 739 rushing yards and 11 scores this season In 2013, he was 59.4 percent accurate for 1.976 yards with 14 touchdowns and six interceptions with a passer efficiency of 143.17 and rushed for 1,068 yards with 12 touchdowns.

Despite no major statistical improvements to show for his efforts, Marshall feels his "decision making" has improved.

"Compared to a year ago I'm way better than I was last year," he said. "I'm making all the correct reads in the offense and I'm really not putting myself in a bind or a negative play. … I'm not worried about numbers. I'm just trying to do what I'm coached to do and go out there with my teammates and try to get wins."

Marshall's athletic abilities could be desirable to NFL teams, but they'll decide where he fits best – either on offense like he has with Malzahn, or defense like he was at Georgia.

"We certainly looked at him as (quarterback), the possibility, but we believed he could be one of the best cornerbacks in America," Georgia coach Mark Richt said. "We believe he could be a very high draft pick as a corner as well. He's that talented of a guy."