Marshall Thundering Herd
The Herd offense never missed a beat when Byron Leftwich stepped
behind center after Chad
Pennington graduated and was selected in the first
round of the 2000 draft. A big, strong, pocket passer with a pro-arm, Leftwich
displays both the physical and mental skills to play quarterback at
the next level. Patient, he looks away from the primary target, scanning the
field and goes through receiver progressions, looking off the safety. Leftwich
knows where his receivers are on the field and quickly gets rid of the ball with a flick of
the wrist. His ability to roll outside the pocket and make the throw on the
move, losing absolutely nothing, is impressive. For the most part he’ll make good
decisions and throws with solid fundamentals but occasionally tosses one off his
backfoot or tries to thread the needle and get the ball through coverage, all which
has adverse results. For all his good attributes Leftwich has only average
accuracy, directs his throws too much and is late on the timing passes. If
the details of his game are ironed out he has big time talent and will be a top
three pick next April. As is the case every year, Marshall has a ton of quality
receiving targets, starting with Darius Watts, a home run hitting
receiver with a great upside. Watts has size, size potential speed and the top end
speed that enables him to run away from opponents. He uses his frame to shield
away defenders and has the ability to extend or reach back and grab the errant
throw. His problem is a lack of concentration as he drops way to many passes,
especially those of the easy variety. If the mental aspects of his game ever
come close to the physical abilities he possesses, Watts will be a very early
draft selection. A dislocated a shoulder late in fall practice and my keep him
off playing field for a bit. Josh Davis, a third year sophomore, displays
a lot more consistency than Watts and is seemingly much more a natural receiver.
A reliable target, Davis sneaks it downfield on occasion and has a tremendous
amount of future potential. The last pass catcher would be senior receiver Denaro
Marriott, a wide out that steps up to make plays on occasion and will get
draft consideration in the late frames. On the offensive line many are very high
on tackle Steve Sciullo; we are not in that group. Sciullo is a tough,
hard-nosed lineman that controls opponents at the line of scrimmage but a
limited athlete with minimal range and abilities to play in space. Sciullo’s
best chance is at right tackle, possibly even guard, and we figure him to be a
later (5th) round choice as of now.
Defensively the prospects Marshall offers are minimal; but then again that
seems to be the situation every year. Safety Chris Crocker and cornerback
Yancey Satterwhite are both relatively intelligent prospects with decent
cover skills that will more than likely be brought into camps as free agents.
MAC
MAIN PAGE
MAC
PROSPECT RANKINGS
MAC
PROSPECT DATABASE