Marcus Mbow gives me reminders of All-Pro guard Tyler Smith. Mbow is an athletic freak and a strong candidate for a first round pick in the 2025 NFL draft. Mbow has always been relatively underrated as a player and prospect. In high school, Mbow was a 3-star recruit and the number 7 overall player in the state of Wisconsin. Mbow showed up in 4 games as a freshman qualifying for a redshirt.
In his Redshirt Freshman season he was a full time starter through 14 games at right guard, earning 2nd team Freshman All-American honors as well as Big10 honorable mention on the OL.
In 2023 as a RS Sophmore, Mbow started 6 games before going down with an injury helping pave the way for the Boilermakers to become the team to lead the Big10 in rushing yards per game at 184.6. He has been fantastic at RT for the Boilermakers in his 4th season, and offers all the traits and film of a future first round pick.
Player Information
Name: Marcus Mbow
School: Purdue
Year: Redshirt Junior
Jersey: No. 63
Height: 6’5”
Weight: 300 Lbs.
Marcus Mbows Strengths
Mbow is a great athlete, in space on screens and vertically setting it shows up constantly on film. He has great play strength for being at a relatively lower weight, constantly finishing defenders or stonewalling them immediately after his first punch.
He has great length with his build unlike many of the top OT prospects in this draft class. Overall the ceiling and floor in Mbow is very good. In pass pro Mbow understands and picks up stunts and twist with ease. All of these things are why I believe Mbow is a safe pick but has a huge ceiling
Marcus Mbows Weaknesses
Mbow can slide his feet which tends to slip ups in pass protection recovery against athletic EDGE players. His hand placement can flare out and get wide allowing for defenders to ghost him or swipe off his hands.
While his play strength in the run game is good in pass pro his anchor does tend to stall out or lead him to slip causing pressure on power moves. He plays a tad high but it doesn’t get him into much trouble as he is a better athlete and overall more technically sound then opposing defensive lineman.
Final Thoughts and Draft Projection
Mbow is very good, so good to the point where he is my OT2 infront of many notable prospects. Everything Mbow has from his IQ to his brute strength stands out continuously. Even in what many regard as his worse rated game in Notre Dame I fell in love with the film and think that is what makes him so special.
His ability to bounce back from what could be said as poor performances and come back even in the same game and still be relatively dominant on tape is something scouts cannot overlook. If I needed a tackle or a guard in this class Mbow is one of the few I would select in the first round. My comp for Mbow is Tyler Smith. Heres some team fits
- New England Patriots
- Chicago Bears
- Dallas Cowboys
- Baltimore Ravens
