Marcel Reece

Having flown under the radar, Marcel Reece put together some eye-opening numbers in his college career. His path took him from Chaffey College to El Camino College before settling the last two years in Washington. The one constant at each stop was his big-play ability. In 43 games, he has grabbed 120 passes for 2,866 yards, averaging a very impressive 23.88 yards per reception. He also converted 29 of those catches into touchdowns. In addition, he has proven to be such a punishing cut blocker, that teams are also seriously considering shifting him to fullback at the pro level. Blessed with the size you look for in an H-Back or motion tight end, Reece displays superb explosiveness in his running stride. With his size, he is able to shield the ball from defenders. With his sudden burst, many defensive backs have been left behind on his 29 trips to the end zone. He also has outstanding leaping ability and few opponents can out-jump Reece when goes up to catch the ball at its high point. Reece was a three-sport standout at Hesperia High School, where he lettered in football, basketball and track, earning first-team all-league honors in all three sports as a senior. That year, he had 41 receptions for 989 yards and 11 touchdowns. In track, he recorded a personal best time of 49.8 in the 400 meters. In 2004, Reece enrolled at Chaffey Junior College, playing in seven of the team's 11 games. He snatched 25 passes for 600 yards and seven touchdowns, leading the California junior college freshmen with an average of 24.0 yards per reception. Reece transferred to El Camino College in 2005, where garnered All-American honors and was rated the third-best receiver in the junior college ranks. He caught 35 passes during the regular season and had 47 receptions for 1,286 yards (27.4-yard average) and 13 touchdowns for the entire year, as the Warriors compiled an 11-1 record. As a junior, he enrolled at Washington, spending most of the season acclimating to major college life. He struggled on the field until the end of the year, starting one of 12 contests, as he made nine catches for 219 yards (24.3-yard average) and one touchdown. Reece was named the team's Most Improved Player, as he took over flanker duties in 2007. He finished second on the squad with 39 catches for 761 yards (19.5-yard average) and eight touchdowns, including a 98-yarder against Arizona. In 24 games at Washington, Reece caught 48 passes for 980 yards, an average of 20.42 yards per catch. Nine were touchdowns and he also carried five times for 28 yards (5.6-yard average) and recorded one solo tackle.

positives

Well-built athlete with long arms, broad shoulders, tight abdomen, thick thighs and calves...Has the frame to add needed bulk without any drop-off in quickness, for a possible move to the backfield as a fullback or to be used as a motion tight end/H-back...

physical position blocker who has nimble feet and does a nice job escaping the jam to get into his routes...has excellent lateral agility and uses his hands well to lock on and ride the defender wide...demonstrates fluid change- of-direction agility and shows good hip snap while combating for the ball over the middle...catches well in the short area and has an explosive initial burst off the snap to gain advantage over a lethargic defender...uses his upper-body power well to get a good push off the defender to escape the jam...stays low, extends his arms and keeps his feet shuffling in pass protection along the edge and has shown good angles getting to the second level in attempts to cut block...shows no hesitation attacking and neutralizing linebackers and keeps his pads down while showing the quickness to hook defensive ends inside on sweeps...has a good feel for the soft areas in the zone, using his frame well to shield the ball from the defender in man coverage...extends his arms to catch away from the framework of his body and appears to have the natural pass-catching skills to adjust to low passes...won't hesitate to sacrifice his body to get to passes in a crowd...maintains balance when engaging defenders and has the short-area speed to line up in a variety of spots...shows the leg drive to drag a defensive back after the catch...searches out defenders to deliver a crunching block for the ground game on the short pulls along the outside...looks in the routine pass, making proper jumps to get to the ball at its high point...possesses the valid speed to threaten the seam.

Negatives

has limited starting experience at the major-college level and no experience as a lead blocker for the running game (most are on sweeps or outside runs)...has a strong hand punch to stop the bull rush, but will sometimes lean into the defender and bends at the waist trying to recover...not shifty running after the catch, and is really a one-cut runner, but has the valid burst and leg strength to break arm tackles...does not always run pass routes with urgency...effective pass blocker, but does not hit on the rise or roll his hips properly for in-line blocking situations, making him a work in progress for any potential move to fullback...shows good power as a blocker and when engaging defenders coming off the snap, but will sometimes lunge at the man and is slow to recover.

Compares To

No injuries reported, but did miss four games at Chaffey Junior College in 2004 and sat out the Arizona State clash at Washington in 2006.

Campus: 4.42 in the 40-yard dash

1.51 10-yard dash

2.55 20-yard dash

4.26 20-yard shuttle

7.2 three-cone drill

36 1/2-inch vertical jump

9'0" broad jump

350-pound bench press.

Attended Hesperia (Calif.) High School, where he was a three-sport standout, lettering in football, basketball and track

Earned first-team All-League honors in all three sports as a senior, when he had 41 receptions for 989 yards and 11 touchdowns

In track, he recorded a personal-best time of 49.8 in the 400 meters.

American Ethnic Studies major

Son of Lynn Green

Resides in Hesperia, California.