Woody Marks entered college as a four-star recruit and made a name for himself by being as versatile as possible. He quickly set a record at Mississippi State for most career receptions out of the backfield and has only been building his NFL case since then.
Height: 5 ft – 10 in
Weight: 215 lb
Age: 24
Position: Running Back
College: USC
College Career Summary:
Woody Marks spent the first four seasons of his college career with the Mississippi State Bulldogs before heading down to the USC Trojans in 2024. In his first college campaign, he appeared in 11 games and rushed for just over 300 yards with three touchdowns. The following year, he improved his numbers, rushing for over 400 yards and scoring six times. In his third year, those numbers went up once more, surpassing 580 rushing yards this time with nine touchdowns. Then, came a slight step backward, with him rushing for fewer yards and scoring just four touchdowns in 2023. That would mark the end of his career with the Bulldogs, and when he took over the job at USC, he showed why he wanted to leave. He played 12 games, rushed for over 1,100 yards, nine touchdowns, and hauled in 300 receiving yards. Speaking of receiving yards, in each season of his college career, he had over 160 receiving yards, bringing in over 40 receptions in all but one season. Marks knew what it meant to be versatile, and his skillset was utilized in a plethora of different ways with both Mississippi State and USC.
2024 Season
Games Played: 12
Yards: 1,133 rushing, 321 receiving
Touchdowns: nine rushing, zero receiving
Career Stats:
- 57 games played
- 3,016 rushing yards
- 36 total touchdowns
- 608 rush attempts
- 261 receptions
Passing/Rushing/Receiving/Defensive Metrics:
- 0 yards per carry throughout his career
- 9 yards per reception throughout his career
- 1,546 career receiving yards
Strengths:
- Natural pass-catcher, can adjust to off-target throws with ease
- Extremely versatile, easily moveable around the offense
- Solid vision with one-cut abilities
- Took snaps in almost every possible game, showcasing durability
- High football intelligence
- Special teams potential as a returner
Weaknesses:
- Lacks size and bulk for the NFL
- Relies too heavily on his one-cut ability
- Limited long speed, isn’t a routine home-run hitter
- Only one season of over 600 rushing yards
High Pressure Situations/Clutch Gene:
From what we’ve seen out of Marks, it feels safe to say that he isn’t scared of high-pressure situations or massive games. Against the fourth-ranked Penn State squad this season, Marks took 20 carries for 111 yards along with two receptions for 44. USC lost that game, but he showed up to play against a very tough defense. A few weeks earlier against the 18th-ranked Michigan Wolverines, Marks had 13 carries for 100 yards along with five receptions for 40. Then, against 13th-ranked LSU, he had 16 carries for 68 yards and two touchdowns. He didn’t have the best showing against Notre Dame, but they were the eventual champions who took away the run game before Marks could really get going. Outside of that, we’ve seen him show up and run well in numerous big games. Factor in his ability to break the game open as a passer and his clutch gene should be even higher. If his team finds themselves down late in the contest, he’s someone that you can count on out of the backfield to catch a few late passes. Despite his size and stature, he’s run well against tough competition.
NFL Projection And Fantasy Relevance:
Many have compared Woody Marks to a runner like D’Andre Swift, though with a more rounded-out set of pass-catching skills. However, despite the comparisons, his draft stock isn’t exactly the highest at the moment due to this being an extremely deep running back class. Currently, he is anticipated to be selected at some point in the fourth round, which makes sense considering the players above him. This might seem like he won’t have much fantasy relevance, but I think it is quite the opposite when it comes to him. Marks displays an ability to make a play in multiple different areas of the field and can be used as a return man, a pass catcher out of the backfield, a slot receiver, and a casual one-cut running back. This means that, wherever he lands, he can instantly carve out a role for himself in the offense. He might not ever become the type of top-tier talent that the NFL already has in guys like Saquon Barkley, but I see him putting together enough plays to warrant a stash in fantasy football. He’d be somebody that you might not start every week, yet you’d be confident in his abilities in the starting lineup if you have to opt for him.
Woody Marks has showcased his durability throughout college, so concerns about his ability to play at the next level shouldn’t be as high right now. Still, this doesn’t change the fact that he likely won’t be a workhorse regardless of the team that drafts him. He’s almost certainly going to be utilized in several different ways offensively and can be sprinkled into the offense to be a wildcard. This is a role that I believe he’d fill extremely well and offers fantasy relevance in the process. Anytime you can get a running back with natural pass-catching skills in the later rounds, you have to at least take a look at him. With the way the NFL is changing, pass-catching running backs are more important than ever. Teams also love to partner up explosive backs with tougher ones to spell one another. I think Marks will fit into wherever offense he lands and will find himself being a solid player for many years in the NFL, even if he isn’t a straight-away superstar right when he enters the NFL. This is something only a few can do anyway, and Marks doesn’t have that type of skillset in comparison to someone like Ashton Jeanty.