2024 Rookie Profile: Marshawn Lloyd
USC RB
Height 5’9
Weight 210 lbs
Combine :
40 time 4.46 seconds
10 yard split 1.56 seconds
Vertical 36”
Broad Jump 9’ 10”
What's the Buzz: There’s definitely two sides to the Marshawn Lloyd story. The South Carolina Marshawn Lloyd, and the USC Marshawn Lloyd. I had a hard time believing it was the same player; the tapes are night and day. Lloyd didn’t appear to have the same burst nor shiftyness that I saw in his Gamecock footage versus what I saw in the USC game film. Whoever takes a chance on Marshawn on draft day has their fingers crossed on the former.
Strengths: South Carolina Marshawn Lloyd has crisp acceleration, and great vision to hit the hole or follow his blocker. Frantic footwork and breakaway speed once he’s in the second level. A fun running back to watch and had you gone on that tape alone, I’d have Lloyd comfortably in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft. Great hands and focus when targeted and showed the capability of home run speed.
Weakness: The flip side of the coin is USC Marshawn Lloyd. Running straight into tacklers, slow choppy footwork, his head bouncing all around. Some runs were decisive and surgical. Some runs it’s as if he didnt know the play call. His footwork and ploddingness on some of his USC runs will be a loss of yards against NFL defenders. Ball security must also be addressed, with three fumbles on 115 attempts at USC, and a total of eight on 323 career collegiate touches. And as with most college runners, blitz pick up and pass protection was questionable. Deficiencies in these areas could relegare Lloyd to the bench if he’s not careful.
Lazy Comparison: Dameon Pierce. Not gonna lie, this was the hardest “lazy” comparison Ive ever made. But it was also the most appropriate. When Dameon Pierce was on his game at Florida, he was trucking anyone and everyone in his wake. Texans Dameon Pierce looks lost and discouraged. I feel like this same night and day difference is evident in Marshawn Lloyd.
An NFL team can strike gold with a shifty adequate runningback in round 2 on draft day, or they can spend a pick on an indecisive runner that gains less than three yards per carry and misses blitzes that result in his quarterback on the ground.
Lloyd has to go to a team that has the luxury of sitting him for a year or two. Maybe learn the game on special teams. The Rams could be a good fit with the USC connection. Maybe Indianapolis behind Jonathan Taylor. I dont like Lloyd’s prospects should be be a trial by fire running back in the NFL. Should he get the chance to break old habits and regain his South Carolina game, we could be looking at a quality NFL running back.
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