BACKGROUND: Jo'Quavious "Woody" Marks grew up in Atlanta with his mother (Tameka), whom Woody calls his "biggest motivation" (Tameka attended all but one of Woody's games in college). Marks has a close relationship with his older brother (Dontavious). His nickname, "Woody," was given to him by his grandmother because he loved the movie "Toy Story" as a kid and wore a Woody costume for seven straight Halloweens. Marks played baseball and basketball through middle school and also ran track, but he grew up in a football family and started playing pee wee at age 8. He played every position throughout youth football, from quarterback to multiple roles on defense, before running back emerged as his best spot. Marks enrolled at Carver High (south of downtown Atlanta) and forced his way to the top of the running back depth chart as a freshman. He also saw time at cornerback. After rushing for 1,245 yards in his first season, Marks posted a personal-best 2,127 rushing yards on 208 carries and 19 touchdowns as a sophomore, rushing for 100 yards or more in all 13 games. As a junior, he rushed for 1,500 yards on 140 carries and nine touchdowns. As a senior, Marks was named the region's Offensive Player of the Year with 1,519 rushing yards on 162 carries and 23 touchdowns, despite missing two games. He finished his prep career with 6,391 rushing yards, 7,220 all-purpose yards, 60 touchdowns and a 10.4 yards-per-carry average. Marks also lettered in track and had personal bests of 11.16 seconds in the 100 meters, 22.16 in the 200, 50.84 in the 400 and 18 feet, 4 inches in the long jump. A four-star recruit, Marks was the 16th-ranked running back in the 2020 recruiting class and the No. 19 recruit in Georgia (third-ranked running back in the state behind Tank Bigsby and Jahmyr Gibbs). He started receiving scholarship offers as early as his freshman year, including one from Nick Saban and Alabama. Marks later picked up offers from Florida State, Miami, Michigan, Ohio State, Tennessee and Texas. He could have gone almost anywhere in the SEC, except nearby Georgia, his preferred destination — Kirby Smart and the Bulldogs never offered Marks because of his size. Ultimately, Marks committed to Mississippi State over Florida, Louisville and Wisconsin and enrolled early in January 2020. He and Emmanuel Forbes were the highest-ranked recruits in the Bulldogs' 2020 class, and Marks cited his relationship with head coach Joe Moorehead and his offense as key factors in the decision. However, Mississippi State fired Moorehead two weeks after Marks signed and replaced him with Mike Leach. After four seasons at Mississippi State, Marks expected to enter the 2024 NFL Draft, but a lingering hamstring injury pushed him to play one more year of college ball. Zach Arnett, who took over as Bulldogs head coach following Leach's death, was fired following the 2023 season and Marks subsequently entered the transfer portal. He visited Louisville, Washington and USC before committing to the Trojans for the 2024 season. He earned his degree in kinesiology from Mississippi State (Dec. 2023) and is pursuing a graduate certificate in gerontology. He opted out of USC's 2024 bowl game and accepted his invitation to the Senior Bowl. STRENGTHS: ● Compact build and looks like an action figure with sculpted muscle definition ● Runs low, hard and balanced to sustain momentum through arm-tackle attempts ● Fluid lower body and jump-cutting skills to snatch ankles ● Physical finisher and more likely to throw his body into a defender than escape out of bounds ● Natural route runner out of backfield with accepting hands (only one drop on 54 targets in 2024) ● Combined 261 catches over past five seasons (eighth most among FBS players over that span and 88 more than any other running back) ● Often holds ball in wrong hand but quickly covers it up at contact (fumbled once in 2024, five times in his career) ● Not a vocal leader but shows up every day with same "I'll outwork everyone and never cut corners" mindset, according to NFL scouts ● Forced fumble vs. Michigan in 2024, ripping the ball out of Kenneth Grant's hands on a fumble return ● Played through bumps and bruises (and the flu vs. Nebraska in 2024) ● Operated in mostly zone-based offense at Mississippi State and gap-based run scheme at USC WEAKNESSES: ● More quick than fast and can be caught by chasing pursuit ● Gets bounce happy at times, instead of working inside out with his reads ● Much more confident with reads in space than between the tackles, which leads to some wasted steps ● Not a big-play creator in passing game — averaged fewer than 6.0 yards per catch in college (only four of 261 career catches resulted in 20 yards or more) ● Workhorse mentality but tread is worn after 869 offensive touches in college ● Inconsistent batting average as chipper and pass blocker (holding flag on his 2024 Penn State tape) ● Missed three games of final season at Mississippi State because of hamstring injury (Nov. 2023) ● Will turn 25 as a rookie SUMMARY: A one-year starter at USC, Marks was the lead running back in head coach Lincoln Riley's RPO, spread (multiple-run) scheme and motioned across the formation (jets, orbits, etc.). After four seasons as a starter at Mississippi State, he became an invaluable part of the Trojans' offense in 2024 and was USC's first 1,000-yard rusher since 2017 (Ronald Jones). When he stays patient to set up blocks, Marks showcases balanced footwork and determination to stack cuts and pick his way through the defense. He has natural hands out of the backfield (set the Mississippi State record for career catches and caught a pass in 56 straight games). Overall, Marks has only average explosiveness and speed, but his low-to-the-ground run style and sharp run angles make him tough to get on the ground. His pass-catching skills and impact on third downs will ensure him a role in an NFL backfield.
I don't mind drafting an older RB in the 4th round. Better chance of him contributing from the start and they only need him to play 3-4 years max. If he's great, just let him sign somewhere else in free agency. Hate the trade to get him. Nick might need to reign in his impulses. Or maybe this is Nick's year to hit 2-3 home runs cherry picking guys. We can only hope.
I like the idea of this guy. I always thought Stroud would cook with an actual receiving HB. We'll see if he's good enough to fill that role but I like the idea of the pick at least. The more weapons the better and the Texans desperately needed weapons.
I disagree. I didn't like the pick because I'd prefer a DT or another OL. Trading a 3rd didn't help, but I'm hopeful he wins me over as I like he doesn't fumble.
Considering how many snaps Ogunbowale had to take last year in this offense, this is a huge upgrade for a 3rd down back who is both a good blocker and receiver.
Something John Harris brought up that makes a lot of sense. Last season, especially once Diggs went down, our ability to make quick, short passes for easy yards basically disappeared. So far this offseason, we’ve signed Christian Kirk, who excels at those sorts of routes, drafted Jaylin Noel, who is very similarly skilled, and now Woody Marks, an elite receiving back prospect. Not only are we getting more weapons for Stroud, we’re clearly trying to give Stroud options early in the down so that he doesn’t have to just sit back there waiting to see if someone can get open downfield before the pressure reaches him.
