Former QB Nick Marshall Knows CB Conversion Is Best Chance for NFL Success

Former Auburn quarterback Nick Marshall is taking the road less traveled. Marshall is a collegiate quarterback willing and committed to make the transition to cornerback at the professional level. 

It's a welcome change of pace since too many collegiate signal-callers begrudgingly make any type of move from behind center. 

For example, Tim Tebow still isn't willing to let his dream of playing quarterback in the NFL die even though he should have done so long ago. 

It isn't a stretch of the imagination to believe Tebow would be on an NFL roster today if he was willing to make a position switch. Instead, to his future's detriment, he stubbornly pursued his dream. 

Others, such as Marshall, aren't as pigheaded in their pursuit of an NFL career. A future in the NFL at a different position is better than not playing in the NFL at all. 

Marshall didn't even need to be poked or prodded into making the decision.

“No one told me I should make the move," Marshall said. "It was originally a rumor that got out, but there was nothing to it at the time. After the season, I made the decision that it would be best for me and my future. I followed my heart and decided what's best for me and my mom."

The former Auburn quarterback didn't rely on others who made a similar position switch. Instead, he kept the conversation between him and his family. His advice came from his mother, uncle and father. But the decision ultimately fell on Marshall. 

“My mindset is I can play any position once I put my mind to it," Marshall said. "No one can change that. It's just the type of person that I am. It's the athlete in me and the type of competitor I am. I'm just doing what I believe is best for my future."

The transition actually began four years ago.

When Marshall originally committed to the University of Georgia, his collegiate career began in the secondary. The Pineview, Georgia, native played in 13 games as a true freshman, primarily as a backup and on special teams. He only registered five total tackles during his limited playing time. 

Marshall didn't know at the time that it would be his only season with the Bulldogs. 

The freshman and two of his teammates were caught stealing from another teammate in February 2012. Both of them were dismissed from the program due to the violation of team rules. 

Marshall redefined his life a day later when he met with his former high school coach, Mark Ledford. 

“Coach, I want to go to junior college, I want to play quarterback, and I want to come back to the SEC,” Marshall said, according to Ledford in a Macon Telegraph story by Seth Emerson.

Marshall chose to attend Garden City Community College, which is located in Garden City, Kansas, before he found his way back to the SEC to play for the Auburn Tigers and head coach Gus Malzahn. 

College	Year	Passing Yards	Passing TDs	Rushing Yards	Rushing TDs
Garden City	2012	3,142	18	1,095	19
Auburn	2013	1,976	14	1,068	12
Auburn	2014	2,532	20	925	11
TOTAL		7,650	52	3,088	42

The then-quarterback provided numerous memories for Auburn faithful, including the "Prayer at Jordan-Hare" against the Bulldogs, an SEC title and an appearance in the BCS National Championship Game. 

Despite all of his success orchestrating Malzahn's unique uptempo offense, Marshall wasn't viewed as a legitimate quarterback prospect at the NFL level. 

Concerns regarding his overall accuracy, touch and feel in the pocket overrode a tremendously strong arm and all of his natural athleticism. 

Marshall was at a crossroads as he prepared for his professional career. 

Would he be as determined as he once was to return to the SEC as a starting quarterback? Or, he could return to cornerback and give himself a better chance of making a living by playing football. 

The Auburn product chose the latter, but it wasn't an easy decision. 

“It was challenging at the time, because I've been playing quarterback for the past three years," Marshall said. "I just got my feet wet playing defensive back again. It's really a transition I needed to make. I've concentrated on my fundamentals to become a defensive back, and that's what I've been working hard on right now."

It wasn't until the bus ride from Mobile to Fairhope, Alabama, for the first practice at this year's Senior Bowl—the nation's premier all-star event for top NFL prospects—that Marshall finally decided to leave the quarterback jersey behind and finally commit to playing cornerback. 

Even the Senior Bowl's executive director, Phil Savage, didn't know of Marshall's decision, and he had to quickly bring in a new quarterback to fill Marshall's spot on the depth chart.

“That was the point where I knew I had to make the move," Marshall said. "I wanted there to be film of me playing cornerback. I felt I already had film of being a quarterback during my two years at Auburn. So, that's why I played cornerback at the Senior Bowl."

Despite not playing cornerback for three years, Marshall caught the attention of at least one NFL general manager in attendance. 

"He played corner and ran with (Phillip Dorsett) from Miami," St. Louis general manager Les Snead told ESPN.com's Michael Rothstein. "The kid from Miami made him hedge, but Nick was step for step. What that did show you is he's either just as fast as this kid from Miami, or he's got some football instincts that let him know how to play some coverage and know that, all right, that guy's fast, I need to do this and this and this angle to make sure I stay with him."

Phillip Dorsett's speed can't be underestimated. The wide receiver blazed a 4.33-second 40-yard dash at the NFL combine, and he was even faster at Miami's pro day with an unofficial run of 4.25 seconds. 

Marshall, meanwhile, ran a 4.54-second 40-yard dash at the combine. It's pretty clear that Snead's assessment hinges on solid football instincts despite not playing defensive back for a few years. 

The converted cornerback also presents ample size for the position at 6'1", 207 pounds. Marshall spoke with both the Seattle Seahawks and Jacksonville Jaguars, both of whom prefer bigger and more physical cornerbacks, during the draft process. 

The Seahawks' Richard Sherman, for example, converted from wide receiver to cornerback for the Stanford Cardinal and eventually developed into one of the NFL's best once the Seahawks placed him in the right situation. 

But instincts, size and natural athleticism will only get a player so far. Marshall's technique remains a primary concern. 

“It's challenging, because I needed to get my legs back up under me," Marshall said. "I needed to work on my backpedal and T-steps in cornerback drills. I also had to get used to opening up my hips again and keeping my eyes on the receiver instead of the quarterback. It's just the little things I had to continuously work on to get better. That way I don't have to think about these things the next time I do them."

Despite Marshall's initial lack of comfort in cornerback drills, Doug Graber, Marshall's positional coach at the EXOS training facility in Gulf Breeze, Florida, and a former NFL defensive coordinator, came away impressed with his disciple after the very first time he put him through a defensive back workout. 

"I've never had a kid like this that's converted this late," Doug told Rothstein. "This was a unique experience for me, too. That's why it was so surprising the very first day I worked with him."

Some things came back more naturally than others.

“The easiest thing to relearn was to backpedal and man-press [coverage]," Marshall said. "The hardest thing was being patient when I was at the line of scrimmage as a defensive back. Most of the time when I was beat at the Senior Bowl, I wasn't being patient. I've made sure to work on things to be patient at the line."

The former Auburn quarterback is now on the verge of being drafted as a cornerback.

Even though Marshall's career path appears set and he's fully committed to playing defensive back, the fact he is a former quarterback and played well at a very high level will never leave him. 

“I know I can play quarterback in the NFL," Marshall said.

He could one day...as an emergency quarterback for a team with only two signal-callers on the 53-man roster.

Otherwise, bigger cornerbacks are en vogue in the NFL. Marshall fits the mold, and he'll only get better at the position knowing that he's fully committed to the position switch.  

All quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Brent Sobleski covers the NFL draft for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter @brentsobleski.