Teams don’t just limit themselves to scouting players from Power Five conferences ahead of the NFL Draft. Small-school programs also draw attention from scouts and general managers in the lead-up to the draft.
Several teams have shown interest in Marshawn Kneeland ahead of draft week. What makes the edge rusher special? It’s time to take a closer look at Kneeland, including his height, weight, football journey and pro potential.
How Tall Is Marshawn Kneeland?
Natural defensive ends average a height of 6’4″ across the NFL.
Kneeland’s height (6’3″) is well above the national average. However, he’s an inch short of the league average at his position.
Yet, his height isn’t his best physical aspect. Kneeland comes with an impressive 83 3/8″ wingspan — which places him in the 90th percentile.
How Much Does Kneeland Weigh?
Players of Kneeland’s position average 264 pounds in the league.
Kneeland is slightly above that mark — tipping the scales at 268 pounds ahead of the draft. But it’s what he does at his weight that’s more impressive.
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Even while carrying nearly 270 pounds, Kneeland blazed his 40-yard dash in 4.75 seconds while running a 4.18-second shuttle run. He even turned in a 7.02-second time in the three-cone drill. All three marks made him one of the fastest for his position group in this draft class.
How Old Is Kneeland?
Kneeland is near the average age of this year’s rookie class.
He’s currently 22 years old. However, he’ll be celebrating his 23rd birthday on July 8 before every NFL team reports to training camp later that month.
Kneeland comes in with the “seasoned” label as a collegian — having played in a high number of games and entering the college football realm as a 2019 prospect.
What School Did Kneeland Go To?
To say Kneeland will enter the league with a chip on his shoulder will be an understatement. He likely remembers everyone who overlooked or undervalued him as a high school prospect.
For starters, national recruiting sites 247Sports and Rivals ranked him as a two-star prospect. The native of Grand Rapids, Mich., only reeled in a reported three offers — one hailing from Football Championship Subdivision program Western Illinois and the other from Division II team Grand Valley State. Western Michigan was his lone Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) offer.
Despite being approximately two hours west of the University of Michigan and one hour away from Michigan State, Kneeland was never offered by either Big 10 representative. But he took full advantage of his lone FBS opportunity.
Revisiting Kneeland’s College Career
Kneeland emerged as one of the more intriguing Mid-American Conference (MAC) defenders as a constant line-of-scrimmage crasher.
He collected 28 total stops behind the line and had 7.5+ tackles for a loss in his final three collegiate campaigns. Kneeland delivered his best season in 2023 — snatching 57 total tackles with 29 solo stops and two forced fumbles.
Kneeland additionally matched his previous-best sack total of 4.5. He tallied 149 total tackles, 81 solo stops, and 12.5 sacks for the Broncos.
He showed his best destructive side on Oct. 28, 2023, against Eastern Michigan. That afternoon, Kneeland dismantled EMU with 11 total tackles, four stops behind the line, and three sacks in the 45-21 romp.
Kneeland went on to earn All-MAC Third-Team honors by College Football Network for his ’23 campaign. But his final season at WMU almost didn’t happen.
He entered the transfer portal in Dec. 2022. Kneeland originally appeared to be set on heading to Boulder, Colo., to suit up for Colorado — who had Deion Sanders coming on board as head coach. However, he had a change of heart and opted to give new WMU head coach Lance Taylor a chance.
In an interview with ABC 13 on Sept. 5, 2023, Kneeland addressed why he opted to stay.
“I can get a lot of publicity here and still go to the NFL from here, so why leave?” Kneeland told ABC 13’s Mark Skol.
Kneeland’s Potential in the NFL
Kneeland pivoting back to WMU has certainly boosted his stock.
The Broncos allowed him to become a stand-up defender firing out of the two-point stance. Kneeland described himself as a linebacker-type in that scheme during his NFL Combine interview. Even in getting away from placing his hand in the dirt, WMU trusted Kneeland to attack the passer on Saturdays from his rush-end spot.
MAC offenses dealt with an explosive, high-energy defender who didn’t only use his attack angles on tackles. The Broncos additionally aligned him inside to disrupt the middle of the offensive line, getting the blocking to cave.
There will be fans who knock down Kneeland’s level of competition as a non-Power Five conference representative. However, Pro Football Network’s draft analyst Ian Cummings isn’t one who’s discrediting Kneeland’s MAC background. He’s looked more into Kneeland’s overall skillset and concluded the Bronco has a higher ceiling than most believe.
“Kneeland grades out as a fringe top-100 prospect in the 2024 NFL Draft. He could sneak into Day 2 or be a priority prospect on Day 3. Either way, he’s a quality addition in the middle rounds, with an intriguing mix of high-floor and high-ceiling tools,” Cummings said.
“At 6’3″, 268 pounds, with 34″ arms, Kneeland has a picture-perfect power profile. He’s well-leveraged, compact, and has the length to channel his explosiveness and mass into massive amounts of displacement energy at contact.”
KEEP READING: Ian Cummings’ Full Scouting Report of Marshawn Kneeland
Kneeland starred in a conference that featured projected first-round cornerback Quinyon Mitchell. Kneeland, though, isn’t projected to fall far in the upcoming draft. PFN’s consensus mock draft predicts him landing at No. 80 with the Cincinnati Bengals.
Regardless, the NFL will soon get used to an under-recruited talent ready to deliver his impact.
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