Florida Gators cornerback Jason Marshall Jr. was selected by the Miami Dolphins in the 5th round with the 150th pick on Saturday afternoon.
Marshall Jr. had quite the up and down career in Gainesville but seemed to have put it all together in his senior season, where he was rarely beat down the field. Unfortunately for Marshall Jr., he suffered a season ending injury in his 7th game last year, which likely hurt his draft stock.
“Gator through and through. Ton of respect for his family. The leadership he showed here. The respect that he had from the players. A lot of good there. The way he was playing prior to the injury, I think he’s an NFL starter,” head coach Billy Napier said on Marshall.
In total, Marshall Jr. played in 45 games for UF across four seasons, combining for 98 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, two interceptions, and 29 pass deflections.
The 6’0, 194-pound cornerback played at the East-West Shrine Bowl before being invited to the NFL Combine, where he ran a 4.49 40-yard dash and posted a 37.5″ vertical jump. Marshall improved on his 40-yard dash time at Florida’s Pro Day, logging an unofficial 4.43 on March 27th.
Marshall Jr. is the first Gators’ defensive back selected in the NFL Draft since Kaiir Elam was taken in the first round by the Buffalo Bills in 2022.
According to Spotrac, Marshall Jr. is slotted to receive a four-year, $4,624,505 contract with a $424,505 signing bonus.
Consistency on the field will be the key for Marshall Jr.’s NFL career, but his upside is worth a late round selection.