Taking a look at a Jets offensive lineman
The New York Jets recently signed former Cardinals offensive lineman Marquis Hayes. Today we break Hayes down in detail.
The 26-year old Hayes is listed at 6’5” and 318 pounds and was a seventh round pick out of Oklahoma in 2022. He has yet to make his NFL debut. He was voted to the all-Big 12 second team in 2021.
Background
Hayes was a three-star high school recruit who arrived at Oklahoma in 2017 but redshirted his first season and only played 32 offensive snaps in a reserve role in 2018.
Over the next three seasons, he started 37 games and developed well as he was an all-Big 12 honorable mention in 2020 and an all-Big 12 second-teamer in 2021.
In the 2022 draft, Hayes was selected in the seventh round by the Arizona Cardinals. He missed his entire rookie season on injured reserve. He was released in final cuts in 2023 and spent the season on the practice squad before signing a futures deal for 2024 and once again ending up on the practice squad after final cuts.
Having been released from the Cardinals’ practice squad early in the 2024 season, Hayes spent seven weeks on the Washington Commanders’ practice squad before ending the season on the Green Bay Packers’ practice squad and signing a futures deal at the end of the season.
The Jets worked out and signed Hayes last month after he was released by the Packers in May.
Let’s move on to some more in-depth analysis of what Hayes brings to the table as a player, based on extensive research and film study.
Measurables/Athleticism
Hayes has outstanding size and length but lacks the athleticism to play outside. He was reportedly 350 pounds as a freshman and obviously got himself in better shape to become a starter two years later.
At the combine, Hayes’ 5.30 in the 40-yard dash and 102-inch broad jump were adequate for his size and his short shuttle at his pro day was only slightly below average. His vertical was poor though.
He did not do the bench press at the combine or his pro day, but his strength is evident from his game film.
Usage
Hayes played virtually his entire college career at left guard, other than two snaps on the right. He had been a tackle in high school. At the NFL level, he’s played both left and right guard in preseason action.
Pass Blocking
Over the course of his career, including in preseason action, Hayes’ pass protection numbers have been solid, although he had five sacks surrendered in his college career and two in seven preseason games.
He drops into his stance with a decent first step and then tends to rely on his length and strength to stay on his man. Changes of direction and general quickness are what tend to give him issues.
Run Blocking
Hayes brings power and is generally characterized as a classic mauler. He plays with a lot of aggression and is a good finisher.
He works well in combination with his linemates and is able to create havoc by getting downfield momentum.
While he tends to rely on brute strength more than technique, Hayes can be a people-mover and win battles at the point of attack.
The concern would be whether he has the movement skills for a more zone-heavy system, although he could be effective when pulling at times.
Short Yardage
You would anticipate that Hayes is a good option to run behind in short yardage situations and this appears to be the case. He was on the field for three short yardage touchdowns in his preseason action and was good at creating a surge or carving out lanes with the Sooners.
Screen Blocking
There aren’t too many examples of Hayes being able to leak out in front of a screen pass, although he did get out to make a block in space on a linebacker on this shovel pass.
Footwork/Technique
As alluded to, Hayes came into the league needing a lot of seasoning in terms of his fundamentals and technique. His hands are inconsistent despite being strong and his footwork and balance can let him down.
As noted earlier, he will often rely on his strength and length to control his man, but there is a tendency for his footwork and hand fighting to be working independently of one another.
Penalties
Hayes had 20 penalties in his college career, including nine in his senior year. He also has four in his seven preseason appearances, including one for holding and one for grabbing the face mask.
He admits that he had a lot of penalties in high school and college due to getting in scuffles, arguments or shoving matches with his opponents and admits he let himself down that way at times.
Special Teams
Hayes’ only special teams role in college and preseason was as a blocker on the placekicking unit. He had one penalty within this role.
Instincts/Intelligence
Hayes seems to be adept at handling stunts, finding targets in space and finding work when he’s the spare man.
However, he can be slow to react, which can create problems when he fails to recognize certain situations before the ball is snapped.
Hayes has had two pre-snap penalties in preseason action, both of which were due to false starts.
He was a two-time all-Big 12 academic first-team selection.
Attitude
Hayes’ mentality was something which his teammate DJ Humphries praised him for during his first training camp. Despite being a rookie, Hayes made an impact by looking to maul people and not being afraid to stand up for himself as he was involved in multiple scuffles.
He has a nasty edge on the field. Here’s a play where he brings some aggressiveness and physicality as he goes looking for work.
As noted, his on-field discipline can let him down at times, but he’s aware of this issue and seeking to find balance between bringing the aggression without taking things too far.
Injuries
Hayes missed one game due to an undisclosed injury in college. However, he was largely unaffected by injuries until his rookie season when a knee injury in preseason landed him on injured reserve and he remained there all season.
Scheme Fit
Hayes has said that when he was a draft prospect, teams told him he would fit best in a gap scheme but needs work to be as effective in zone blocking schemes, which seems to tie in with what you see from him in his film.
He said playing for Lincoln Riley, whose system has some level of complexity to it and requires both run and pass blocking skills, was good preparation for the NFL.
He has been teammates with current Jets Kris Boyd and Brandon Smith in Arizona and Phidarian Mathis and Jamin Davis in Washington.
Conclusions
Linemen with Hayes’ combination of experience, size and length are often viewed as having the potential to develop into an NFL talent and the Jets may be hoping that Hayes’ development so far has flown under the radar because he hasn’t had a chance to suit up for regular season action.
He’s spent a lot of time on practice squads, which means he would probably have been called upon to start games had he been on a team which had as many injury issues on the line as the Jets have in some recent seasons.
Hayes clearly still has some developing to do and will probably start off camp as a third teamer without much chance of moving up the depth chart unless there are injuries. However, he has looked like he has been making progress based on his preseason film, so perhaps we shouldn’t rule out him sticking around long enough to potentially get a chance to make his NFL debut before the end of the year.