Scouting Report: Lawrence Marshall

Submitted by Magnus on

This week's scouting report is on Southfield (MI) Southfield defensive end Lawrence Marshall.  Marshall is visiting Michigan this weekend, and he has narrowed down his top five schools to include Michigan State and Michigan, the former school being the presumed leader.  In him I see maybe a Craig Roh/Tim Jamison ceiling.

http://touchthebanner.blogspot.com/2013/05/scouting-report-lawrence-mar…

dnak438

May 10th, 2013 at 11:03 AM ^

Magnus, your evaluation is based 100% on his highlight reel(s)?

I ask because I assume the coaches focus more on camp performances, which allow them to see how the player performs against better competition, and to evaluate things like coachability, which can't be determined until you've actually worked with the player.

That's not to say that Magnus's evaluation isn't legitimate, or appreciated, just that it's based on a very particular data set.

Losher

May 10th, 2013 at 11:08 AM ^

Magnus what do you think about a guy like Garrett Dickerson who is still sporting michigan in his top 5 and talk about them in most of his interviews? Im not sure if he was offered as a tight end or defensive end but could he be a guy who the coaching staff would take if they dont land two of the three top defensive line guys on the board right now?

Magnus

May 10th, 2013 at 11:17 AM ^

I believe they were originally looking at him as a tight end, but now that Bunting committed, the coaches want him for defense.  I think he's below the top two defensive ends (McDowell, Hand) on the board but - with the caveat that I haven't fully scouted him - I did like his film better than Marshall's.

WolvinLA2

May 10th, 2013 at 11:32 AM ^

I will beat this drum until signing day (or if he commits to us) but what about Gelen Robinson? He doesn't have the height (though he could have a GRIII-like late growth spurt) but he seems to have everything else and has been impressing at camps lately.  I'm not saying he;s better than McDowell or Hand certainly, but he seems to be as good as anyone else on our board and could play either WDE or SDE.  

He looks to me like a better version of Jibreel Black.

Magnus

May 10th, 2013 at 11:48 AM ^

He doesn't look anything like Jibreel Black to me.  I wouldn't be disappointed if the coaches offered Gelen Robinson, as long as the coaches were/are able to get one of those higher rated guys, too (Hand or McDowell).  But I do think Robinson is small-ish and might get swallowed up by decent offensive tackles.

WolvinLA2

May 10th, 2013 at 11:56 AM ^

See, usually those All-American wrestling types are good at not getting swallowed up, just because they have such great strength and leverage, not to mention better than average use of their hands.  

Your'e right that he's small-ish, but he's as tall as Black or Clark and probably an inch shorter than Heitzman.  And I just have to assume he'll grow another inch or two, since his dad is 6'8" and his brother is 6'6".  Yes, sometimes families have that kind of disparity, but usually they don't, and even GRIII added a couple inches late. I think he was listed at 6'4" when he committed to us.  

Magnus

May 10th, 2013 at 12:48 PM ^

I'm not sure I agree.  Yes, they are usually good with leverage and using their hands, but they often seem to be interior players like Mike Martin, Brady Pallante, etc., who are hand fighting with 6'2"-6'4" guards and centers.  That's different than playing against 6'6" or 6'7" offensive tackles.

WolvinLA2

May 10th, 2013 at 1:03 PM ^

You're right, it is, and I agree it's less of an advantage for an end, but I still think it is an advantage.  Those guys are also typically stronger for their size than a non-wrestler would be, and often have a quicker first step as well (and I definitely think Gelen does).  I also think that his weight right now isn't indicative of where he'll be in college because he has needed to cut weight every off-season.  Let him take an off-season of bulking up instead of trimming down, and he could be Frank Clark-sized as an underclassman.  

I can't decide where I think he'll play, because I think he probably has the athleticism to play WDE, but I also think he could easily play at a size big enough for SDE.  Considering Taco is kind of in that same boat, I'd bring Gelen in and play him wherever Taco doesn't.  If Taco is a WDE, then we didn't have any SDEs in that class, and vice versa if Taco moves to SDE at some point.  

Magnus

May 10th, 2013 at 5:21 PM ^

Yeah, I think that would be the best place for him if he were to come to Michigan.  He supposedly moved to LB in 2012 (after previously playing DE) in an attempt to get more college exposure because a lot of teams thought he would be too small to play DE at the next level.

nowicki2005

May 10th, 2013 at 11:44 AM ^

Is Craig Roh/Tim Jamison, those were pretty solid players and I'm thinking Craig Roh playing with a A senior line of himself, Byron Mone, Hand, and McDowell would look at lot better than 2012's Craig Roh so I hope he is at the least another Roh.

Magnus

May 10th, 2013 at 12:19 PM ^

Well, according to the recruiting services at the time, Wormley was 6'7" and 290 lbs.  Marshall is listed at 6'4", 225 lbs., tops.  I mean, I guess you can compare him to whomever you want.  I gave a couple suggestions of recent vintage.

VCavman24

May 10th, 2013 at 4:34 PM ^

That would be great if Michigan can swing this guy.  He seems like a great player and could greatly contribute to Michigan.  And he could beat little brother four straight years.