JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Jacksonville Jaguars coach Gus Bradley was impressed when Nick Marshall came up to him on the first day of practice for the Senior Bowl and said he wanted to play cornerback instead of quarterback.
Though he hadn’t played the position since his freshman season at Georgia in 2011, Marshall showed enough ability and athleticism that the Jaguars aggressively pursued him as an undrafted free agent. After two weeks of training camp, Bradley is even more enthralled with Marshall.
"Great poise, really strong competitor, and his speed and instincts are really showing up," Bradley said. "I really like him now. I think he’s got a chance."
The 6-foot-1, 210-pound Marshall has made a noticeable play nearly every day of camp. He returned an interception for a touchdown on the second day of camp, nearly had an interception on the final play of last Saturday night’s scrimmage, and intercepted a deflected pass on Wednesday. He’s had times when he’s locked down receivers in 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 drills, but he’s also been beaten badly.
Those bad plays are expected, though. It’s hard for college defensive backs to make the adjustment to the NFL, especially to the physical style the Jaguars want their cornerbacks to play. Marshall has been a quarterback the past three seasons (one at Garden City Junior College and two at Auburn, where he threw for 4,508 yards and ran for 1,866), so it’s natural that he’s a little rusty.
"He’s very athletic and has playmaking skills," defensive coordinator Bob Babich said. "We’ve been very pleased with him. He’s just got to continue to get better and [practice with more] consistency. There’s a lot of things going on [when you play cornerback] but one thing he can do is he lets his instinct at the point of attack take over and I think that really helps. He’s not as analytical as some guys, but he’s really instinctive."
Marshall said he feels more comfortable as each day passes and his body eases back into the rhythm of playing cornerback.
"It’s working out very well," Marshall said. "I’m taking advantage of reps and learning from the veterans in front of me."
Marshall faced an uphill battle to make the 53-man roster when he arrived but he’s been so impressive during camp that it now seems he’s likely to make it. The top three corner spots are pretty much a lock -- Demetrius McCray, Aaron Colvin and Davon House -- but Marshall is legitimately in the mix for the final two or three spots along with Dwayne Gratz, Peyton Thompson, Rashaad Reynolds, Tommie Campbell and Jeremy Harris.
Even if he’s not ready to contribute right away it may be in the Jaguars’ best interest to keep him over more experienced players. For the Jaguars to sign him to the practice squad they have to cut him and he must clear waivers, and if Marshall continues to improve it’s likely that another team would quickly claim him and the Jaguars would lose him.
The Jaguars knew Marshall was a physical fit for what they want in their corners -- bigger players with good speed -- and they’ve also found out he’s just as mentally tough despite his inexperience.
"The thing with him is it’s not too big," Bradley said. "He doesn’t care who he’s lining up against. You know me, a guy with that mindset, it’s awesome and he shows that day after day."