Marcus Yarns, RB, Delaware
Size:
Height: 5107
Weight: 193
Arm: 31 ⅛”
Hand: 9 ⅛”
Accomplishments:
First-Team All-CAA (2024) • Second-Team All-CAA (2023)
“Teams in need of a home-run-hitting ball-carrier to add speed to a playbook will prioritize Marcus Yarns in the latter half of the draft process.”
Strengths:
Can absolutely FLY
First-step quickness
Dead leg in space
Ball security (two lost fumbles on 367 career carries)
Concerns:
Lateral agility
Creativity
Elongated footwork at times following the mesh point
Film Analysis:
Aligned primarily in shotgun or as the pistol-back, Marcus Yarns is an explosive and electric ball-carrier that can take it the distance on every touch.
Yarns is a ball-carrier who is best in wide-zone schemes, where his ability to press the edges of a defense has remained on display for four seasons. He’s a patient runner at the mesh point, but Yarns is a player who could find more consistency in diagnosing creases. With his speed, improvement in that area could elevate his potential performance ceiling immensely. Keeps the ball high and tight through the alley whose one-cut explosiveness can blow by defenders in the blink of an eye. Elite long speed who has been tracked north of 22 mph via GPS in-game tracking technology. Quick to work into high gear but is best when a linear plane is presented. He’s a nightmare to counter on tosses and sweeps, where he can scan and press holes to the play side, or cutback to the weak side of the formation. His speed forces all 11 players to remain disciplined in their gaps and assignments.
In space, Yarns has displayed comfortable hands and a skill set that should be utilized at the NFL level. Glider in the open field that gains ground quickly. Has experience running multiple routes and was a frequent recipient of designated touches in the Delaware offense. His presence will force teams to play light with another hybrid LB or DB on the field. One-on-one mismatch in man coverage who, from any spot on the field, could end up in the end zone. Yarns is also more than willing in pass pro. While not the biggest or strongest, he has no issue sticking his face in the fan against larger bodies to keep his QB clean, even if it means getting blown back on his backside.
Concerns remain about his creativity as a runner, where his open-field elusiveness is limited to accelerating and outrunning angles, rather than a hesitation move, spin, stiff-arm, or cutbacks in the open field. Yarns has a tough time starting, stopping, or changing direction near full speed, a trait that could hurt at the next level against more athletic defenders. He is also a bit too patient at times at the mesh point in allowing blockers to engage. His speed allows him to take an extra second to read, but attacking gaps as they initially open will put Yarns in a spot to burst through the smallest of creases quickly and into the secondary before defenders can correctly fill.
Overall, Yarns is a dynamic playmaker with speed to burn. Highly productive ball-carrier in the CAA projects as a potential three-down threat due to his experience as an RB1 and comfortability in space. He will also earn snaps on special teams as a return man with new kickoff rules in place.
Prospect Projection: Day 3 — Developmental Traits
Written By: Ryan Fowler
Exposures: Rhode Island (2024), Monmouth (2024), Villanova (2024)
