Marquan McCall NFL Draft 2022: Scouting Report for Kentucky DL

HEIGHT: 6'2 5/8"

WEIGHT: 342

HAND: 11"

ARM: 33 1/4"

WINGSPAN: 6'8 7/8"

40-YARD DASH: DNP

3-CONE: DNP

SHUTTLE: DNP

VERTICAL: DNP

BROAD: DNP

POSITIVES

— Massive frame. Packs a ton of weight.

— Good upper-body strength. Controls blocks well once engaged.

— Scrappy, violent player.

— Above-average at seeing blocking concepts and knowing how to answer them.

NEGATIVES

— Slow, clunky feet. Struggles working laterally while maintaining a sound base.

— Ends up on the ground far too often.

— Short-area quickness and explosion are not there. Does not cover ground.

— Ineffective pass-rusher. Asked to stunt often because he can not win on his own.

2021 STATISTICS

7 G, 9 TOT, 3.5 TFL

NOTES

— 4-star recruit in 2018. Signed to Kentucky as an offensive guard.

— Converted full-time to defensive tackle as soon as he got to campus.

— Four-year contributor.

— Missed four games in 2021 because of an ankle injury.

OVERALL

Marquan McCall looks the part of a starting nose guard, but he has a ways to go before he starts playing like one.

McCall sports a rotund 6'3", 379-pound build, with most of that weight being around the stomach area—as should be the case for any good nose guard. He does not have impressive length, but since he plays in a phone booth as an interior player anyway, that will not hurt him too much.

All of McCall's best reps come from what he does with his upper body. For one, McCall has a generally impressive understanding of what kinds of blocks he is getting. McCall is quick to feel what concept he is getting, take on the block accordingly and find the ball carrier. Additionally, McCall has good strength once he gets latched on. He has the strength to get nice extension and knock blockers off their center of gravity, as well as the grip strength to rip blockers to the ground. His strength blends well with his relentless hand-fighting and high-energy playstyle, often wearing down linemen late in the play.

On the flip side, McCall plays with heavy feet. He struggles getting off the ball well, and he lumbers when forced to suddenly redirect. In turn, McCall's base can lag behind the rest of his body and end up getting him put on the ground one way or another. McCall does not move well in space, either. He does not gain ground when freeing himself off of blocks, nor can he play laterally across the line of scrimmage very comfortably. McCall is also an uninspiring pass-rusher thanks to his middling movement skills and coordination.

McCall needs to be plopped right in the middle of the defense. Allowing him to just eat space and two-gap, letting his upper body strength and scrappiness shine, is the best bet. That said, McCall is purely a run defender who will need time to figure out how to make his game work with subpar NFL athleticism.

GRADE: 5.9 (Backup/Draftable — 6th-7th Round)

OVERALL RANK: 236

POSITION RANK: DL25

PRO COMPARISON: Daniel McCullers

Written by B/R NFL Scout Derrik Klassen