Jalin Marshall could be a steal

The New York Jets picked up wide receiver Jalin Marshall as an undrafted free agent. The Jets highly considered drafting Marshall as he could end up being a steal for Gang Green.

Each NFL offseason, every team dives into the undrafted free agency class hoping to find a true diamond in the rough for their organization. This year, a player to keep an eye on for the Jets, is Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Jalin Marshall, who was a playmaker in college.

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At 5’11” and 205 pounds, Marshall is a bit undersized but he is still a very well-rounded play-maker with the chance to become a “do it all” type of guy in the NFL. Marshall can make an impact as a wide receiver, running back or even special teams player.

The way that Marshall could be impactful right away for the Jets is with his special teams play. He was an excellent punt returner in college due to his shiftiness, elusiveness and underrated athleticism. It is definitely very possible that Marshall could start out the season returning punts for the Jets.

Marshall’s speed is definitely a concern regarding his punt return ability, but in college, Marshall made up for his fairly average 4.6 forty-yard dash time by using his high football IQ. Marshall sees the field very well as a punt returner which allows him to make decisions that lead to more yardage on his returns.

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Marshall is a very good special teams player, but we cannot discount his ability to make plays within an offense.

Marshall’s elusiveness and overall athleticism could allow him to become a very crafty and useful running back or wide receiver for an NFL team.

His ability to make plays in the open field will make him a very useful piece at some point in his NFL career.

He does a great job with a variety of short passes and pitches towards the outside.

While it wouldn’t be expected to see much production from Marshall on down-field receiving plays due to his lack of size and speed, he will make up for this with his ability to play running back at times, and come out of the backfield. Basically, Marshall will be used as a weapon on short yardage plays and situations where something can be made out of nothing.

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At the end of the day, Marshall is a very well-rounded prospect who could end up rewarding the Jets for their patience with him down the road. He could be a crucial special teams piece from day one and his open field ability should translate to the offensive game for him. Expect Marshall to be a key role player for the Jets at some point this upcoming season.