The New York Jets added the highly-productive Gabe Marks as an undrafted free agent who projects as a slot receiver in the NFL.
- Despite his likely role as a slot receiver, Marks ran 88.5 percent of his routes from the right receiver position and will need to adjust to being able to run routes on both sides of the field. In 2016, Marks only caught 12 passes out of the slot.
- Marks wasn’t overly productive in the deep passing game — his seven receptions on balls traveling at least 20 yards in the air ranked 49th out of 109 qualifying receivers in 2016, his 215 receiving yards on such receptions ranked 65th, and his 30.4 percent catch rate (percentage of receptions compared to targets) ranked 70th. Those marks considered, he thrives as a short-to-intermediate route runner: WSU QBs recorded a 115.2 QB rating last season when targeting Marks on all throws traveling under 20 yards in the air.
- Marks has excellent hands, positing a 4.3 percent drop rate, 29th-best mark in the country.
- The Eastern Washington product was extremely productive in 2016 when running slant routes. Marks was targeted 14 times on slant routes last season, catching 11 of them for 128 yards and two touchdowns. Washington State QBs had a 144.3 QB rating when targeting Marks on slant routes, significantly greater than the NCAA average of 92.2.