Marquis Hayes NFL Draft 2022: Scouting Report for Oklahoma IOL
HEIGHT: 6'4 7/8"
WEIGHT: 318
HAND: 8 7/8"
ARM: 34 7/8"
WINGSPAN: 6'11 1/2"
40-YARD DASH: 5.30
3-CONE: DNP
SHUTTLE: DNP
VERTICAL: 23.5"
BROAD: 8'6"
POSITIVES
— Tone-setter with excellent competitive toughness to get after defenders from snap to whistle.
— Very good grip strength with violent, powerful hands to deliver a stiff strike on contact before latching, sustaining and gaining control.
— Effectively eliminates space to keep defenders tight to his body when they attempt to shed off, cleaning up reads for the runner.
— Works his pads under defenders on contact to dig them out on drive and down blocks with a wide base and sustained leg drive to create displacement.
— Uses independent hands in pass protection to strike, reset and stay leveraged on blocks.
— Quick processor with impressive play speed to sort through gap exchanges, stunts and line games.
NEGATIVES
— Upright playing style and wide hand placement allow defenders to work underneath and get him on his heels at the point of attack.
— Doesn't always bring his feet into blocks instead relying on his upper body to do the bulk of the work.
— Adequate foot quickness out of his stance and is sluggish redirecting laterally to mirror shifty rushers crossing his face.
2021 STATISTICS
— 12 starts at left guard.
— Second-team All-Big 12 selection.
NOTES
— 4-star recruit and top-five player in the state of Missouri.
— 36 career starts at left guard.
— Accepted an invite to the 2022 Senior Bowl.
OVERALL
Hayes is a three-year starting left guard in Oklahoma's multiple run scheme. He has a thick build with extra weight around his midsection and is high-cut with good arm length. Hayes has an upright playing style with adequate foot quickness, and he doesn't always bring his feet into contact yet consistently manages to stay attached to defenders using a wide base, vice grips for hands and outstanding effort to run his feet, strain and sustain blocks.
Hayes is a very good run-blocker with the ability to drop his pads and dig out defenders on double-team and down blocks while excelling as a puller using impressive angles, body control and length to fit on his target. He has very good mental processing to not chase gap exchanges across his face, decipher stunts and pick up the most dangerous man on blitzes.
Hayes is a brawler who can generate jarring torque to work defenders off balance, tip and snatch them to the ground. His middling foot quickness and heavy feet delay his ability to redirect and can get him beat across his face quickly against countermoves, but he shows good patience with stiff, independent strikes to stun defenders on contact, latch and end reps quickly.
When uncovered, he is very active and alert, looking for work with a vengeance, oftentimes caving in the ribs of adjacent rushers. Because of an upright playing style, his anchor can be tardy, but he fights to rework his hands under and inside with good core strength to grind down the bull rush with a few gather steps.
Overall, Hayes is a tone-setting presence on the line, with the length, power and play speed to circumvent an upright playing style and below-average foot quickness. He understands how to stay attached to blocks and shows an impressive understanding of the play's intent that allows him to play faster than his athleticism would indicate.
While his ceiling is likely capped as a solid starter, he will likely compete for a job right away and has the tools to be a long-term, functional starter.
GRADE: 7.5 (Potential Impact Player - 2nd Round)
OVERALL RANK: 61
POSITION RANK: IOL4
PRO COMPARISON: Dalton Risner