The Player
While certainly not as obscure as other players profiled in this series, Keith Marshall is still a bit of an unknown to the greater fantasy community.
While he entered college football as a premier five-star talent behind the less heralded Todd Gurley, he entered the NFL as an oft-injured second-fiddle to NCAA stars in Gurley and now Nick Chubb and Sony Michel. And while his talent was always on display when he got on the field, he lost almost two years to a torn ACL that didn't heal properly and received sporadic carries afterwards behind his All-American teammates.
Yet it's hard to forget the power, speed, and agility he displayed as a true freshman when he rushed for 759 yards and 8 touchdowns (6.5 yards per carry). He looked like a future superstar but just never seemed to regain the confidence in his knee (or a role in that backfield) in order to demonstrate that ability.
At the NFL combine, he reminded us why he was such a highly recruited player out of high school, dominating the testing portion of the week. There just aren't that many 220 pound backs who can run like he can, and he compares favorable to some NFL greats:
| Name | Hght | Wght | 40 yd | 10 yd | Bnch | Vert | 3Cone |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Keith Marshall | 5' 11" | 219 | 4.31 | 1.49 | 25 | 30½" | 6.98 |
| Lamar Miller | 5' 11" | 212 | 4.4 | 1.53 | 33" | 6.94 | |
| Joseph Addai | 5' 11" | 214 | 4.4 | 1.50 | 18 | 38½" | 7.09 |
| Rashard Mendenhall | 5' 10" | 225 | 4.41 | 1.57 | 26 | 33½" | |
| Carnell Williams | 5' 11" | 217 | 4.43 | 1.59 | 19 | 35½" | 6.94 |
| Marshawn Lynch | 5' 11" | 215 | 4.46 | 1.60 | 20 | 35½" | 7.05 |
| LaDainian Tomlinson | 5' 10" | 221 | 4.46 | 1.54 | 18 | 40½" | 6.84 |
| Chris Ivory | 5' 11½" | 222 | 4.48 | 1.54 | 36" | 7.2 |
Of those backs, he reminds me the most of Joseph Addai but perhaps with a little less creativity. If Marshall sees a crease, he can make a dynamic cut and then explode up the field with the finishing speed to hit the home run every time.
He runs a tad upright and thus doesn't use his size to generate more power, but he can still break arm tackles and is a reliable receiver out of the backfield.
The Opportunity
The case for and against Matt Jones has been well chronicled on numberFire.
Among 44 running backs with at least 100 attempts, Jones was last in Rushing Jordan Reed and receivers in DeSean Jackson, Pierre Garcon, and rookie first-round pick Josh Doctson. But it has yet to be determined if Jones has the talent, ball security, and health take over this backfield.
The team certainly thinks he can, surprising many by picking Jones in the third round of the NFL draft in 2015, releasing Alfred Morris this offseason, and not bringing in much competition beyond Marshall. But if he stumbles, don't sleep on the talented Bulldog. He may still have a lot left in the tank.