Hogs Haven takes a look at 2025 NFL Draft prospects that could contribute to the Commanders
Woody Marks, RB
School: USC | Conference: Big Ten
College Experience: Redshirt Senior | Age: 24
Height / Weight: 5’10” / 207 lbs
Projected Draft Status: 4th-6th Round
Player Comparison: Jaylen Warren
College Statistics
| Rushing | Receiving | Scrimmage | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | Conf | Class | Pos | G | Att | Yds | Y/A | TD | Y/G | Rec | Yds | Y/R | TD | Y/G | Plays | Yds | Avg | TD | Awards |
| 2020* | Mississippi State | SEC | FR | RB | 11 | 70 | 312 | 4.5 | 3 | 28.4 | 60 | 268 | 4.5 | 0 | 24.4 | 130 | 580 | 4.5 | 3 | |
| 2021* | Mississippi State | SEC | SO | RB | 13 | 106 | 416 | 3.9 | 6 | 32.0 | 83 | 502 | 6.0 | 3 | 38.6 | 189 | 918 | 4.9 | 9 | |
| 2022* | Mississippi State | SEC | JR | RB | 12 | 113 | 582 | 5.2 | 9 | 48.5 | 48 | 288 | 6.0 | 0 | 24.0 | 161 | 870 | 5.4 | 9 | |
| 2023 | Mississippi State | SEC | SR | RB | 9 | 121 | 573 | 4.7 | 4 | 63.7 | 23 | 167 | 7.3 | 2 | 18.6 | 144 | 740 | 5.1 | 6 | |
| 2024* | USC | Big Ten | SR | RB | 12 | 198 | 1133 | 5.7 | 9 | 94.4 | 47 | 321 | 6.8 | 0 | 26.8 | 245 | 1454 | 5.9 | 9 | |
| Career | 57 | 608 | 3016 | 5.0 | 31 | 52.9 | 261 | 1546 | 5.9 | 5 | 27.1 | 869 | 4562 | 5.2 | 36 | |||||
| Mississippi State (4 Yrs) | 45 | 410 | 1883 | 4.6 | 22 | 41.8 | 214 | 1225 | 5.7 | 5 | 27.2 | 624 | 3108 | 5.0 | 27 | |||||
| USC (1 Yr) | 12 | 198 | 1133 | 5.7 | 9 | 94.4 | 47 | 321 | 6.8 | 0 | 26.8 | 245 | 1454 | 5.9 | 9 | |||||
Player Overview
Jo’quavious Marks, like many kids of his generation, was a fan of the movie series Toy Story. His love of one of the main characters led to family and friends calling him Woody. When announcers at his games had trouble pronouncing his name, his mom suggested they just call him Woody. Even though they struggled with his name, they had to know it because Woody Marks was one of the top running back recruits in the country. Wanting to prove himself against the best competition, the Atlanta native chose Mississippi State to play against SEC competition immediately.
In Mike Leech’s air raid offense, Marks did not get a lot of carries as a freshman in 2020 – just 70 carries – but he got plenty of touches. Marks caught 60 passes, a sign of his future role for the Bulldogs. After four seasons in Starkville, Marks would be the school’s all-time leader in receptions with 214. Marks entered the transfer portal, giving himself a chance to show that he could carry the ball as well as he could catch it. He would choose to play at USC, and for the Trojans, Marks carried the ball more than he did during any season at Mississippi State. Marks was a huge part of the Trojans’ offense in 2024, rushing for over 1,100 yards totaling almost 1,500 yards from scrimmage.
Strengths
- Excellent vision to follow blockers and find open space
- Good acceleration through the hole
- Short-area quickness helps him be elusive
- Catches out of the backfield with good hands and an ability to adjust to passes
- Ball security; only one fumble in career
Weaknesses
- Lacks breakaway speed
- Doesn’t show the power to run over defenders
- Too easily taken down by ankle tackles
- Blocking strength and technique needs improvement
Let’s See His Work
USC RB Woody Marks has met with the Washington Commanders.
“It was great. I met with a lot of coaches. Running back coach, just talking with them. We talked at the Senior Bowl too, also, so it was great.” pic.twitter.com/YUh391OG9l
— Logan B. Robinson (@LogansTwitty) February 28, 2025
Jo’quavious Marks is a RB prospect in the 2025 draft class. He scored an unofficial 7.43 #RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 492 out of 1909 RB from 1987 to 2025.
Splits projected, times unofficial.https://t.co/Xee4plNd6Q pic.twitter.com/7rQbDP98Ze
— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) March 1, 2025
How He Fits on the Commanders
Adam Peters and Dan Quinn will likely be making changes to the Commanders’ backfield this offseason. Brian Robinson, Jr. and Austin Ekeler should be back for at least one more season. Chris Rodriguez, Jr. is an exclusive rights free agent and could be back on a reasonable contract, or he could be let go since the team has cut him before. Jeremy McNichols is an unrestricted free agent.
With the ability to benefit the running and passing game, Woody Marks is an interesting prospect. His patience and vision make him a fit for a zone blocking scheme, while his ability to set up blocks should allow him to succeed in gap schemes. Quick acceleration allows him to burst through holes and create separation as a receiver. Strength is a weakness in his game as it hurts him when he tries to break tackles, run through defenders, and block. His skillset makes him a good change of pace from Robinson while giving the team a reliable receiving threat that consistently gains positive yards. Marks could be a good fit for the Commanders as a RB2.