2019 NFL Draft Profile: Fresno State QB Marcus McMaryion
McMaryion helped spearhead the Bulldogs’ revival, but can he land a roster spot in the NFL?
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Can the Fresno State QB find success in the pros?
Fresno State football’s return to prominence probably would not have happened to the same degree if not for Marcus McMaryion. After transferring from Oregon State in 2017, it took all of six weeks for the Central Valley product to take control of the offense and play mistake-free ball en route to a surprise ten-win campaign. The next year, he supplemented that mistake-free play with a few more big-time highlights which enabled the Bulldogs to have perhaps their finest season ever.
Now, McMaryion will hope that steady play will find him a role at the next level but, in a class of imperfect quarterbacks, how much interest will he generate?
Measurables (from DraftScout.com)
Height – 6′ 1/2″
Weight – 206
Wingspan – 75 1/2″
Arm Length – 31″
Hand Size – 10″
40-Yard Dash – 4.76
Vertical Jump – 35″
Broad Jump – 110″
3-Cone Drill – N/A
20-Yard Shuttle – 4.32 seconds
Bench Press – N/A
Strengths
McMaryion didn’t make very many mistakes in two years at the helm of the Fresno State offense, but defenses never really showed much of an ability to force him into those mistakes, either. His timing within the offense — to know when to get rid of the ball and when to give up on a play to prepare for the next opportunity — and his accuracy are more than adequate, and he also possesses enough mobility to keep defenses honest, averaging roughly seven yards per carry after adjusting for sacks in the last two seasons.
Weaknesses
McMaryion trailed only North Texas’s Mason Fine and Arkansas State’s Justice Hansen in 20-yard pass plays last fall, but no one would argue that he has a rocket arm. His deep-ball accuracy is spottier than one would like, which Cary Krongard of Sports Al Dente noted might be a symptom of wonky passing mechanics.
The mobility also shouldn’t be confused with top-end speed, either. Though his pro day information isn’t listed on Mockdraftable, the outcomes bear a striking resemblance to Jordan Lynch and Connor Shaw, both of whom washed out in the NFL.
Draft Prediction
Marcus McMaryion doesn’t seem to have one tool that appeals to teams in the same way as those at the top of this year’s class, and the intangibles don’t seem like they’ll be enough to help him hear his name called during the draft. However, in a league that’s always quarterback-needy, don’t be surprised if his name pops up on Twitter as a hot UDFA commodity with the smarts to stick around the back end of a roster.
