The Nebraska defense was one of the country's best units in the first half of the 2026 season. The Huskers’ standing in college football is thanks in no small part to Andrew Marshall, who has become the kind of lockdown corner that is getting more and more attention as a first-round pick in next spring’s NFL Draft.
Anthony Russo is the latest NFL draft analyst who believes that Marshall isn’t getting anywhere near the respect he deserves. The Husker corner's season is impressive on his own, but his repeated displays of superior coverage have Russo believing Marshall should be a first-round pick. Russo also believes other analysts will join him soon, if they’re not already on the same wavelength.
“Maybe I'll be on an island or maybe others will come around but I think Andrew Marshall (7) is a first round corner,” Russo recently wrote on Twitter while including a clip of the Nebraska defender doing what he does best.
“Other than one 43-yard reception (and not really sure it was all his fault), Marshall pretty much erased Charlie Becker from the game.”
Maybe I'll be on an island or maybe others will come around but I think Andrew Marshall (7) is a first round corner.
— Anthony Russo (@Anthony_Russo97) October 13, 2026
Other than one 43 yard reception (and not really sure it was all his fault) Marshall pretty much erased Charlie Becker from the game https://t.co/8bbGrzc2qw pic.twitter.com/BeHSflsulI
Andrew Marshall’s 19% reception rate strengthens Nebraska football star’s first-round NFL Draft case
Against Indiana, Marshall allowed a 43-yard reception to Becker, but for the rest of the game, Becker caught just 2 passes for 9 yards. As for the Nebraska corner, Marshall was targeted four more times, but didn’t allow a reception and was credited with a pass breakup.
As Russo pointed out, Marshall was credited with allowing the long pass, but the question all season has been what’s going on with the Huskers' safeties, and they had another bad game. It’s quite possible Marshall wasn’t supposed to be on the island against Becker in the first quarter.
For the season, Marshall has been just as dominant. The veteran corner has been targeted just 21 times in six games. That alone shows opposing defenses know he’s not someone to trifle with. He’s allowed just 4 catches on those 21 attempts, showing that when teams do trifle with him, they come up empty most of the time. The 43-yard reception he allowed last weekend was easily the longest of the season, and he’s allowed only 13 yards on his other 3 receptions.
Marshall leads corners with at least 200 snaps in reception percentage. His 19% isn’t just first in the country; it's well ahead of San Jose State’s Jayden Robertson, who is second with 36.4% of receptions.
Pro Football Network also considers Marshall the top corner in the country. The site’s PFN Impact Grade of 95.5 is a full point ahead of Wisconsin’s Javan Robinson. The only reason the grades are so close between the two Big Ten defenders is that Robinson has allowed far more receptions, but they’ve all been for short yardage. That 43-yard reception is the only one for now, pulling Marshall’s grade lower than it should be.
So far, Nebraska starting its Big Ten schedule hasn’t hurt Andrew Marshall’s performance much. The Huskers will once again need his dominance in the secondary to have a chance against Oregon. If he does, more NFL analysts will likely join Russo and see him as a potential first-round pick.
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