Marcellas Dial, CB, South Carolina
Size:
Height: 6’0”
Weight: 190 pounds
Arm Length: 32”
Hand Size: 8 7/8"
Accomplishments:
Overcoming Adversity Award (2023)
“Marcellas Dial is a competitive defensive back who has the downhill athleticism and instincts needed for a zone defense.”
Strengths:
Closing burst from distance
Pre-snap leveraging
Physicality in coverage
Effective blitz defender
Concerns:
Tackling
Hip transitions in coverage
Aggressive and handsy in man coverage
Unenthusiatic run defender
Film Analysis:
Marcellas Dial wins with pre-snap alignment. He understands the strength of the defensive coverage and funnels the receiver into it. He leverages routes well enough to reduce space for separation. He effectively plays both man and zone in spurts.
As a man corner, Dial performs best aligned in press alignment using jam technique to dictate the action and decrease timing between the WR and his QB. With well-timed punches, he strikes with good power to slow the WR’s release from the LOS. He has sufficient foot speed to carry routes vertically in both man and zone.
As a zone defender, he displayed good eye discipline to read route concepts and break with a strong burst downhill to interrupt the play. He is competitive at the catch point with a proper understanding of playing through the receiver’s hands. Dial plays with good tenacity and physicality in coverage.
Dial lacks reliability as a run defender. His trigger to engage is less than inspired. He lacks reliability as a tackler, ducking his head and throwing his shoulder to make or initiate contact. Dial is over-aggressive in coverage leading to being handsy to stay in phase if the WR changes directions quickly. In off-coverage, his backpedal and side-saddle drops are high-hipped, causing segmented/rigid transitions. Handling crossing patterns and rub routes are issues for him with identifying and working through traffic in the quick game and low red zone. Dial does a good job being in phase down the field but does not turn and locate the football. He needs to improve in this area to be more of a playmaker. His ball production is lackluster, to say the least.
Heading to the NFL, Dial projects as a fringe roster CB. He has NFL physical tools and traits, but there is some technical improvement needed to find significant playing time. At his best, he can play in zone coverage with the ability to funnel the receiver to defensive coverage.
Prospect Projection: Day 3 — Role Specific Contributor
Written By: Damian Parson
Exposures: Florida (2023), Georgia (2023), North Carolina (2023), Kentucky (2023)
