2017 NFL Draft Profile: Gabe Marks

Gabe Marks, Washington State
5-11, 189
Marks is a rare five year college player, who redshirted right in the middle of his career, which was a decision that Mike Leach made for him after several off-field run ins with local police. This move was to instill some maturity in Marks, and the move worked.
As a freshman, Marks posted 49-560-2, and averaged 11.42 YPR. As a sophomore, He posted 74-807-7, and averaged 10.91 YPR. He redshirted in 2014, and returned as a junior in 2015 to post a line of 104-1192-15, and he averaged 11.46 YPR, and better yet, he stayed out of trouble.
As a senior in 2016, he posted 89-894-13, and averaged 10.04 YPR.
The Good
One of the hardest working players in the college game. A real gamer who is tough on the field.
Plays with a chip on his shoulder from not being offered by UCLA and USC in his home town of LA.
When getting off the snap clean, he is one of the better route runners around, and will work inside and out.
Good tracker on the ball, and will work to the ball with aggression, and reroutes himself well when his QB has to scramble. A solid creator.
Solid footwork, and works well against the sideline.
The Bad
He isn't the biggest guy on the field, and he can get jammed and rerouted by big, physical DBs.
Decent speed, but not great speed. He will not be much of a deep field threat.
Numbers have to be adjusted for having played in a pass happy system of offense.
He can get knocked around in traffic, and does not always track the ball great in a crowd.
He is more finesse than physical.
Can sometimes be prone to fumbles or drops.
Final Overview
Despite some deficiencies here and there, Marks has been one of my favorite receivers in the nation for some time now. He will never kill you with flash or glitz, but he is a hard worker who just wants to succeed and win. Time and again in the PAC-12, he played against what were supposed to be better athletes than himself, and he came out on top more often than not. I have a solid does of respect for this player, and in the right spot, he could be a steal as a slot receiver on underneath routes on the next level. I am really pulling for this kid.