MarShawn Lloyd, RB USC: 2024 NFL Draft Profile

Lloyd was a four-star recruit from DeMatha Catholic High School in Hyattsville, Md. in the class of 2020

USC running back MarShawn Lloyd is the final member of my personal top 100 big board for the 2024 NFL Draft to have his evaluation turned into a written report. Lloyd is an offensive weapon with impressive agility and speed as well as untapped upside as a pass catcher.

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MarShawn Lloyd, RB USC: 2024 NFL Draft Profile

Classification: Redshirt junior running back from Wilmington, Del.

Background: Lloyd was a four-star recruit from DeMatha Catholic High School in Hyattsville, Md. in the class of 2020. He was the No. 88 recruit according to 247Sports, No. 33 for Rivals (five-star), and No. 46 for On3.com. ESPN ranked him 56th in the nation with an 85 grade out of 100. Lloyd transferred from South Carolina to USC for the 2023 season. He served as a team captain during his senior high school season. Lloyd was invited to the Under Armour All-American Bowl and the Polynesian Bowl. He also competed on the track and field team at DeMatha Catholic. Lloyd was born on Jan. 5, 2001.

Injuries & Off-Field: Broke his wrist in two places in 2017, missed 2020 season with a torn ACL suffered in fall camp, missed 2021 bowl game with an injury, missed three games in 2022 with a quad contusion, injured vs. Cal in 2023 and missed Washington game

Awards: 2022 SEC Football Community Service Team, 2023 Honorable Mention All-Pac-12

Pros: Dynamic athlete, compact and muscular frame, patiently waits behind his blocks as the run lane develops, sets up his blockers, speed to the perimeter, impressive acceleration, burst carries him deep into the secondary, impressive top speed to pull away from second level defenders, burst to out-leverage second level defenders and punish sharp safety angles, home run capabilities, drives legs through contact, bounces off lower body contact, dead leg, executes sharp consecutive cuts, powerful and sudden jump cuts, cutting ability makes him tough for safeties to tackle one-on-one, spin move, weapon with the ball in his hands in space, agility to shake and bake, began running deeper routes in 2023, given some snaps in the slot and out wide, speed to outpace linebackers on routes, lines up and delivers heavy shots in pass pro, hustles in pass pro

Cons: Only minor special teams experience, injury history, age, some tightness in his hips, small hands, multiple fumbles in each of the past three years, three fumbles in 2023, vision doesn’t always reveal cutback lanes, occasionally caught pinballing into his own men, hesitant to just get north-south when play is falling apart, can make a bad play worse, footwork can be a little wild, not a hammer between the tackles despite build, often brought down on first upper body contact, not heavily involved in the passing game, runs a limited route tree, concentration drops, one shot with his shoulder or forearm in pass pro isn’t always enough to deter pass rushers, isn’t the fastest at diagnosing pass rush threats

Overview: Lloyd is a dynamic athlete with a compact and muscular frame. He is an older running back prospect with a history of injuries and limited special teams experience, but he brings electric upside to an offense. Lloyd patiently presses close to his linemen as the running lane develops before bursting through. He sets up his blockers well both near the line of scrimmage and in open space. The All-Pac-12 honorable mention displays his speed on perimeter runs and flashes impressive acceleration to quickly reach the secondary. He pulls away from defensive backs and linebackers and stresses their pursuit angles with his burst. Lloyd possesses home run hitting speed. He’s not on the same level as Jaylen Wright late in run plays but has better burst early in runs and maintains enough speed to finish plays in the end zone. Lloyd drives his legs through contact and often bounces off lower body contact. He uses a dead leg and consecutive sharp, powerful jump cuts to make defenders miss in open space. Defenders are at a significant disadvantage trying to tackle him one-on-one. The Delaware native deals with some tightness in his hips but has the footwork and agility to shake defenders in small spaces. Fumbling has been a major issue for Lloyd. He's put the ball on the ground multiple times in each of the past three seasons, including three times in 2023. This might be because of his limited hand size or running style, which can sometimes become wild. Lloyd’s vision doesn’t always reveal cutback lanes, and he occasionally ends up bouncing off his own blockers at or near the line of scrimmage. The redshirt junior goes big play hunting, which sometimes leads to him making a bad play worse. He needs to learn when to get north-south and take two yards instead of dancing around hoping to get ten. Despite his build, Lloyd isn’t a very powerful runner between the tackles and is often brought down by the first contact he takes to his upper body. He wasn’t heavily utilized as a pass catcher in college but began to run a wider variety of routes in 2023, including more downfield routes. Lloyd suffers from some concentration drops, but he also possesses big play ability in the receiving game because his speed allows him to outpace linebackers. He delivers some heavy shots in pass protection but isn’t the quickest at recognizing threats and often defaults to throwing a shoulder or forearm.

Overall, Lloyd is an offensive weapon with the ball in his hands who terrorizes defenders in space. He will take on a larger role as a pass catcher in the NFL. Lloyd projects best as part of a committee, but he has the agility, creativity, size, and speed to be a lead back when called upon. His injury history and fumbles will raise concerns.

Role & Scheme Fit: Outside zone run scheme

Round Projection: Third Round

Size: 5'8 3/4", 220 lbs. (NFL Combine)

Submitted: 04-10-24