NFL players are nothing if they aren’t confident in their abilities. Confidence is the foundation of their entire drive to compete to be one of the best in the world at their craft. Delaware RB Marcus Yarns comes from humble beginnings, but that doesn’t mean he’s lacking confidence in himself.
With teams like the Detroit Lions employing a one-two punch at running back with outstanding results, many teams will be looking to replicate their own version of that backfield. I asked Yarns at the Senior Bowl if he sees himself as a complementary back in that same mold.
“I see myself doing either or,” Yarns said. “If I am a complementary back, I’d be the best complementary back that we have in the NFL right now. But honestly it doesn’t matter to me. Whichever one I’m doing, I’ll be blessed to be a part of it.”
In four seasons, Yarns had 364 carries for 2,345 rushing yards (6.4 avg.) with another 64 receptions for 812 yards (12.7 avg.) and 34 total TDs.
Yarns is from Salisbury, Maryland, a small town of 33,159 people about 30 miles west of Ocean City. His high school has never produced any NFL talent, and he got emotional when he received an invite to the Senior Bowl.
“When I heard that I was invited, I was so thankful I started tearing up because guys from my hometown especially never had the opportunity to do what I’m doing,” Yarns said. “So I feel as though I carry a lot of weight for my hometown, my family. It’s a blessing.”
When describing the best part of his game, Yarns gave a unique answer.
“I’m a joker,” Yarns said. “Being a mismatch and creating mismatches in the passing game.”
Yarns’ college production shows what a big receiving threat he is with nearly 13 yards per reception, and his Senior Bowl performance only reinforced that idea. He has everything it takes to be a premier receiving threat out of the backfield.
Here is a clip of him easily separating in one-on-ones during practice via Joe Castro.
On the flipside, there are parts of his game that knows will need a lot of work at the next level.
“My pass pro. I got to get way better in pass pro,” Yarns said.
Young players often need to carve out their role on a 53-man roster via special teams. Fortunately for Yarns, that is something in which he takes immense pride.
“Very willing,” Yarns said. “In my career I blocked a few punts.”
When I spoke to him on the second day of Senior Bowl practices, he hadn’t yet met with the Pittsburgh Steelers, but he certainly took notice of Mike Tomlin roaming around the field.
