Marquis
Spruill.
Marquis
Spruill.
Syracuse
The Atlanta Falcons currently employ a base 3-4 defense, transitioning between one and two-gap principles with a preference for athletic, versatile linebackers who can rush the passer and drop into coverage.
Initially, Spruill projects as a special teams ace and situational pass rusher or coverage linebacker, with the ceiling to develop into a starting 3-4 outside linebacker who can impact both run and pass defense.
He would be significantly less effective in a strict 4-3 one-gap penetrating front where his tweener size and lack of elite power at the point of attack would be consistently exposed.
Spruill's athletic traits and blend of pass-rushing upside with cover skills make him a strong fit for Atlanta's flexible 3-4 scheme, despite needing development in block shedding.
Relative Athletic Score (Kent Lee Platte) benchmarks combine/pro-day numbers against every measured prospect at the position since 1987. 10.00 is elite; 5.00 is average.
— No athletic data recorded
| Yr | Team | G | Tkl | Sk | Int | PD | FF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Syracuse | 13 | 51 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2011 | Syracuse | 12 | 62 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| 2012 | Syracuse | 13 | 64 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2013 | Syracuse | 13 | 67 | 5.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | — | 51 | 244 | 12.5 | 0 | 4 | 1 |
A dash means the figure is not published by a source we trust — never a zero we invented.