NFL Draft prospect profile: QB/WR MarQueis Gray, Minnesota

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Minnesota quarterback Marqueis Gray with his fiancee, Alley Behr, and their three children -- Tessa, top left, and nine-month-old twins, MarZell, left, and MarShawn, right. (Photo from Pioneer Press)
Minnesota quarterback Marqueis Gray with his fiancee, Alley Behr, and their three children — Tessa, top left, and nine-month-old twins, MarZell, left, and MarShawn, right. (Photo from Pioneer Press)

Green Bay Packers NFL Draft prospect profile: QB/WR MarQueis Gray

Player Information:

MarQueis Gray, QB/WR Minnesota
6-3, 240 pounds
Hometown: Indianapolis, IN

STATS

NFL Combine:

40 time: 4.73 second
Bench press: 15 reps
20-yard shuttle: 4.30

News and Notes:

I like to torture myself by following the Minnesota Gophers football team, so I thought I should do a draft profile for one of its players. … Highly recurited out of Ben Davis High School in Indiana as a dual threat QB. … Moved between QB and WR at Minnesota. … Has worked out some as a TE at the NFL combine and at his pro day. … More of a running threat than a passing threat at QB. … Ran for 11 touchdowns in his junior and senior seasons. … Had some buzz as a possible slot WR type of player, but slow 40 time at the combine has hurt him. … Gray says he’s been bothered by an injured ankle. … The Colts hold the last pick in the draft. Could Gray’s Indiana ties make him a candidate to be this year’s Mr. Irrelevant as the last player chosen in the draft?

What they’re saying about him:

  • CBS Sports (from last year): “At 6-4 and 250-pounds, Gray looks the part and has very good athleticism for his size, flashing the arm strength to push the ball downfield. However he is very erratic and immature as a passer with poor decision making, mechanics and is in need of extensive development before he is ready to lead an offense at the next level. And because of his weaknesses at quarterback, several teams view Gray as more of a wide receiver prospect, a position he played his first two seasons at Minnesota. Regardless, Gray is an intriguing prospect because of his combination of size, athleticism and raw talent, but he is extremely unpolished and will need a much improve senior season to be drafted next April.
  • Pioneer Press: “Former Gophers quarterback MarQueis Gray might have helped his case to play the position in the NFL on Sunday, Feb. 24, but his performance in the 40-yard dash could have teams questioning whether he can play receiver as a professional. Gray was a wideout as a sophomore and senior at Minnesota, and will run routes at his March 4 pro day. Questions about his throwing accuracy have led teams to view him as a receiver, and Gray played as a tight end in the Texas vs. the Nation All-Star Game earlier this month….Gray might have answered some of his critics with a solid performance in his throwing session Sunday, and he will throw for scouts again at his pro day, in addition to playing receiver.”

Video:

Video Analysis:

  • Tough runner. Seems to understand how to navigate inside rushes. Sends defense backs backwards at the end of runs.
  • Not quite fast or quick enough to separate from the defensive back consistently as a WR.
  • Physical. He’ll block you and try to get you off of him on routes.
  • Decent arm strength. This video was mostly highlights, so it’s mostly good things Gray has done. Trust me, he’s not nearly as accurate as he is in this clip.
  • This video makes me think some team might give Gray a shot as a slot WR, H-Back and ocassional QB.
  • Minnesota’s football program is a mess. Who knows what Gray could be with some good coaching and a stable football enviornment?

If drafted by the Packers:

I watched Gray throughout his college career. He was a terrible passer. But most reports I’ve read about his combine and pro day performance were high on his passing development and low on everything else. Go figure.

I could see Gray as a possible seventh-round flyer or undrafted free-agent signing. His arm strength is pretty good, so Mike McCarthy could maybe view him as a guy he can develop. Or maybe the Packers would like an emergency QB who can run around. Odds are the situation would be pretty bleak if your third QB is on the field so maybe it’s best to have a guy that can move instead of a lead-footed passer.

Gray was a tough runner at Minnesota. But would that really help him as an NFL QB? Even the best running QBs in the NFL are taught to slide or get out of bounds whenever possible. If Gray tries to run over NFL linebackers, he’ll probably end up on injured reserve, which would mean Randall Cobb would likely need to play QB because if Gray’s on the field, Aaron Rodgers and his backup have already been hurt.

I don’t think Gray is fast enough to play WR in the NFL, but he’s tough. Some team could be intrigued enough to see what the kid can do as a WR/H-Back/QB type of player. Is that team the Packers? We’ll see.

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Adam Czech is a a freelance sports reporter living in the Twin Cities and a proud supporter of American corn farmers. When not working, Adam is usually writing about, thinking about or worrying about the Packers. Follow Adam on Twitter. Twitter .

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11 thoughts on “NFL Draft prospect profile: QB/WR MarQueis Gray, Minnesota

  1. Adam, As a QB he stinks. As a 6’4″ 230# WR you’ve peaked my interest. Definetely worht a low round look.

    1. The only reason I focused so much on Gray as a QB is the praise he got at the combine for his throwing and how slow he ran the 40 as a WR.

      Trust me, he was bad as a QB at MN. However, he had multiple offensive coordinators and his head coaches were terrible. He’s got good arm strength. Perhaps McCarthy feels he could turn him into a useable emergency QB, if needed.

      But yes, I agree. He’s more of a WR prospect than QB.

  2. Wow! Those twins have to be two of the more “beauty-challenged” kids I’ve ever seen – must be from Minnesota.

    1. Ouch! Now that is harsh. I was going to write this in the caption: “If Minnesota QB MarQueis Gray isn’t good enough to play for the Packers, his twin sons could probably replace Ryan Pickett and BJ Raji on the defensive line.”

      I didn’t write that, though, because I thought it was too mean. Mr. Savage had no problem bashing Mr. Gray’s offspring, however 🙂

    2. Come on now, if you want to be critical about his ability on a football field, that’s fine but leave his kids out of it. Who knows you might be looking at a future Green Bay Packer or president of the US.

      1. What’s next? No, “Your momma so….” jokes? Let’s allow the intellectual level of discussion here to fall as low as it wants… 😉

  3. No one has posted the possibility that–at 6-3, 240–as a UDFA, you could make an interesting case for him as a developmental TE/HBack. Given how MM likes to line up TE in the backfield on occasion, his ability to throw/run could be intriguing.

  4. i do not see a spot for him in the league. cannot be a QB. not fast enough to be a wr, not big enough to be a TE. there is one 240lb WR in the nfl. his name is calvin johnson. he is a freak. no thanks on this guy at any position. lots of H-Back/FBs can run 4.7 and they already play the position and have for year. undrafted player.

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