Former Gamecock MarShawn Lloyd picked on Day 2 of 2024 NFL Draft

Lou Bezjak

MarShawn Lloyd’s rise up the draft boards ended up with a selection on Day 2 of the 2024 NFL Draft in Detroit.

The former South Carolina running back was selected No. 88 overall in the third round by the Green Bay Packers on Friday night. Lloyd was the fourth running back taken in the draft.

“I’m the best running back in the draft for sure and I think Green Bay got the best running back in the draft,” Lloyd told reporters shortly after being selected. I’m super confident in that.”

Lloyd spent his first three seasons with the Gamecocks before transferring to Southern Cal last year. He rushed for 820 yards and nine touchdowns with the Trojans and earned an invite to the Reese’s Senior Bowl.

Lloyd was a Top 50 prospect by 247Sports Composite rankings coming out of DeMatha Catholic in Maryland before signing with the Gamecocks. He tore his ACL on the second day of fall training camp as a freshman and missed the season.

South Carolina Gamecocks head coach Shane Beamer hugs running back MarShawn Lloyd (1) after scoring a touchdown against Texas A&M at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia, SC on Saturday, Oct. 22, 2022.
South Carolina Gamecocks head coach Shane Beamer hugs running back MarShawn Lloyd (1) after scoring a touchdown against Texas A&M at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia, SC on Saturday, Oct. 22, 2022.

During his two years on the field with the Gamecocks, he rushed for 801 yards and 10 touchdowns before transferring to Southern Cal during the 2023 offseason.

Lloyd had a strong showing at the Senior Bowl and NFL Combine to help him move up team’s draft boards. He ran a 4.46-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine in February, the sixth fastest time among running backs there.

Lloyd also benched 225 pounds 25 times, third most among running backs at the combine. NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah had Lloyd ranked as the top running back in this year’s class and his No. 56 overall prospect.

“I think he’s got a chance to be the first one (running back) off the board,” Jeremiah said of Lloyd at the NFL Combine. “He’s got a good combination of size, speed. He can catch the ball as well. He showed that at the Senior Bowl. Not a lot of production catching it during the fall, but showed he could catch it there.”

Oct 7, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans running back MarShawn Lloyd (0) runs the ball against Arizona Wildcats safety Dalton Johnson (43) during the second half at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 7, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans running back MarShawn Lloyd (0) runs the ball against Arizona Wildcats safety Dalton Johnson (43) during the second half at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein compared Lloyd to Kansas City Chiefs running back Jerrick McKinnon, who’s known for his running and pass catching ability.

NFL Network’s Maurice Jones-Drew likes Lloyd’s potential, especially catching passes out of the backfield (Lloyd caught 13 passes for 232 yards and averaged 17.8 yards per game with the Trojans last year).

“Lloyd enters the NFL with plenty of tread on the tires, having never surpassed more than 120 carries in a season. (Though that’s partially because of missed time due to injuries.),” Drew wrote. “With good speed, the USC product has big-play potential in both the run and pass games.”

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