Jason Marshall Jr., CB Florida: 2024 NFL Draft Profile

Marshall was a five-star recruit from Miami Palmetto Senior High School in Pinecrest, Fla. in the class of 2021

Jason Marshall Jr. is the latest Florida Gators cornerback to receive attention from pro teams. He won’t be a first round pick like Kaiir Elam, but Marshall could still be a top 100 selection in the 2024 NFL Draft.

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Jason Marshall Jr., CB Florida: 2024 NFL Draft Profile

Classification: Junior outside corner from Miami, Fla.

Background: Marshall was a five-star recruit from Miami Palmetto Senior High School in Pinecrest, Fla. in the class of 2021. He was the No. 29 (five-star) recruit according to 247Sports, No. 51 (four-star) for Rivals, and No. 30 (five-star) for On3.com. ESPN ranked him 44th (four-star) in the nation with an 86 grade out of 100. Marshall was a MaxPreps 2020 Preseason High School All-American. MaxPreps awarded him All-Florida First Team honors as a senior when he helped Miami Palmetto reach the semifinals of the 8A state playoffs as a two-way player. Marshall was a Miami Herald First Team All-Dade 8A-6A selection as a junior, helping Miami Palmetto to a 10-2 record. He also played varsity basketball and has a background in track and field.

Injuries & Off-Field: Missed some time as a high school senior, limited in 2023 fall camp with a hamstring injury

Awards: 2022 SEC Fall Academic Honor Roll

Pros: Special teams experience on the kick return, punt return, and field goal block units, good arm length, scheme versatility, ball skills are a plus, patient and good mirroring releases, no issue picking through switch releases in zone, effective press man corner able to jam and stunt routes, well-timed punches to derail receivers, enough speed to stick with receivers vertically out of press, gets in-phase and sits on the hip of the receiver on outside releases from soft-shoe press, doesn’t fall for stutter-go routes, plays the receiver’s hands when he doesn’t see the ball, quickly snaps to receivers from off-man when they break in front of him, displays coverage instincts defending slants and in-breaking routes, quick to recognize and trigger on WR screens, vision to find rushing lanes to fill, size contributes to the occasional big run stop

Cons: Committed five penalties in 2022, not a twitchy or sudden athlete, lacks elite deep speed, gives a step or two vertically to faster receivers, stacked by Tennessee’s Ramel Keyton (2022), gets grabby when threatened vertically, doesn’t always get his head around, late to flip his hips and close on comeback routes in man, bit on a stacked duo like it was a WR screen against FSU when it wasn’t – led to easy yardage (2022), struggled against Johnny Wilson’s size (2022), punch accuracy can be inconsistent, struggles to get back into routes when he whiffs on press punches, struggles to play through tight end blocks or separate from stalk blocks, block deconstruction, hesitant to get involved in the run game, liability in the run game at times

Overview: Marshall has special teams experience on the kick return, punt return, and field goal block units. He has an ideal build for a corner and good arm length. Marshall can play press man in Cover 1 or zone in Cover 3. His ability to play press man, soft-shoe press, and zone makes him a fairly scheme versatile defender. Marshall is patient and good at mirroring releases. He doesn’t struggle to pick through switch releases in zone coverage. Marshall jams routes in press man with well-timed punches to derail receivers. He has enough speed to stick with receivers vertically out of press, but there are instances where receivers stacked him. Tennessee’s Ramel Keyton beat him downfield in 2022. Marshall isn’t a sudden or twitchy athlete and lacks elite deep speed. He gives a step or two vertically to faster receivers and gets grabby when threatened downfield. When the junior gets in-phase on outside releases, he sits on the receiver’s hip for the whole route. He doesn’t fall for stutter-go routes. Marshall has plus ball skills and plays the receiver’s hands when he doesn’t see the ball. He quickly snaps to receivers from off-man when they break in front of him. The Florida native displays his coverage instincts by jumping slants and in-breaking routes. He is quick to recognize and trigger on wide receiver screens. Marshall’s vision helps him find rushing lanes to fill, and he has the size to make the occasional big run stop. However, he is hesitant to get involved in the run game and sometimes becomes a liability in that area. The former five-star recruit lacks the block deconstruction skills to play through tight end blocks or separate from stalk blocks. Marshall is late to flip his hips and close on comeback routes in man coverage. He struggled against Johnny Wilson’s size (2022), but that’s true for many corners. Marshall’s punch accuracy is inconsistent, and he struggles to get back into routes when he whiffs on press punches. He committed five penalties in 2022. 

Overall, Marshall is a versatile corner capable of succeeding in press man or zone-dominant schemes. He has ideal size for the position and is a good enough athlete to stick with most assignments. However, he lacks outstanding traits and is clearly still developing and refining his technique.

Role & Scheme Fit: Scheme versatile; press man outside corner in a Cover 1 scheme

Round Projection: Third Round

Size: 6'1", 200 lbs. (Unofficial)

Submitted: 09-15-23