Nick Marsh
Indiana#19 overallDraft Movement
Up 20 spots since Jun 8
Scouting Report
Nick Marsh is a big-bodied boundary receiver who spent two years as the entire passing game at Michigan State before transferring to Indiana for 2026. At 6-foot-3 and 203 pounds with a listed 4.38 forty, he pairs a rare frame-and-speed combination that scouts will chase early in the 2027 class. He was the unquestioned focus of every defense the Spartans faced, drawing a 24.6 percent target share and 97 targets while facing weekly bracket coverage. His route running and route tree are ahead of his experience, and his intermediate work against zone shows a receiver who understands spacing and tempo. He tracks the ball naturally in the air, extends routes to bail out his quarterback, and shows genuine body control adjusting to off-target throws. When slants and quick game hit him on schedule, the chunk yardage comes after the catch, where he averaged 4.8 yards after contact per reception. The size and physicality let him win against college corners who simply could not match his strength at the catch point. The efficiency, though, tells a harder story that his tools alone do not erase. He caught under 60 percent of his targets, won just three of eleven contested chances, and put ten drops on tape, a brutal combination for a receiver built to win 50-50 balls. Physical press corners like Michigan's disrupted his timing and kept him from uncovering downfield despite twelve targets in that game. The deep-ball connection rarely arrived, though the worst quarterback situation in the Big Ten shoulders part of that blame. The move to Indiana is the swing factor: a playoff-caliber offense, a proven quarterback, and a featured role he no longer has to carry alone. Marsh projects as a developmental boundary starter whose best football is clearly ahead of him, a first-round ceiling for scouts who trust the frame and a Day 2 floor for those who want one clean, efficient season first.
The Tape
Strengths
- Rare 6-foot-3, 203-pound frame paired with elite timed speed at a listed 4.38 forty
- polished route running and a full route tree ahead of his experience
- understands spacing and tempo, especially on intermediate routes against zone
- tracks the ball well in the air and extends routes to help his quarterback
- strong body control adjusting to off-target throws and playing the ball at its high point
- dangerous after the catch at 4.8 yards after contact per reception on slants and quick game
- carried an enormous 24.6 percent target share and 97 targets while beating weekly bracket coverage
- size and strength let him win physically at the catch point against college corners
Weaknesses
- Contested catches were a season-long failure, converting just three of eleven tries
- ten drops on tape undermine his profile as a jump-ball winner
- caught under 60 percent of his targets, an ugly efficiency mark
- struggled to uncover downfield against physical press, managing little against Michigan on twelve targets
- deep-ball connection rarely arrived despite the timed speed
- quarterback chaos at Michigan State muddies the evaluation, but the efficiency was poor regardless
- still projects as a developmental boundary starter who needs a clean, productive season to validate the traits
NFL Comparison
Keon Coleman (reasoning: big-framed boundary X whose contested-catch reputation outran his actual catch-point conversion, with tools ahead of efficiency); Jalen Coker (reasoning: large-bodied outside receiver who wins on strength and body control after developing against lesser competition); Rashod Bateman (reasoning: technically-sound route runner with size and downfield tracking whose production depended heavily on quarterback and offensive context)
College Stats
2024 (Michigan State, true freshman): 41 receptions, 649 receiving yards; set MSU true freshman records and finished fourth among FBS true freshmen in receiving yards; Week 2 at Maryland: 8 catches, 194 yards, 77-yard TD. 2025 (Michigan State, sophomore): 59 receptions, 662 receiving yards, 6 TDs, 11.2 yards per reception; led the Spartans in receptions, yards, and TDs. Career heading into 2026: 99 receptions, 1,311 receiving yards, 24.6% target share; 1.89 yards per route run, 4.8 yards after contact per reception, 11.2 average depth of target, 10 drops, 10 contested catches.
College Market Value
Our model prices him at $1.53M on the open college market, built from production, pedigree, role and Indiana's program money. No credible deal has been reported for him this season.
The college fantasy model projects 10.9 PPG (WR32), after 9.7 PPG across 12 games last year.
Portal: transferred from Michigan State to Indiana for 2026.
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Measurables
Awards & Honors
Honorable Mention All-Big Ten (2025); National Freshman of the Week (2024, Week 2 vs Maryland); viewed as a 2027 draft-class sleeper; U.S. Army Bowl selection (high school); consensus four-star recruit and top wide receiver in Michigan