Despite a prolific pass-catching career at Washington State, Gabe Marks went undrafted. Now he's with the New York Jets, where Mike Leach can foresee success for him.
WSU wide receiver Gabe Marks endured a long wait through all seven rounds of the draft last weekend only to go undrafted. Marks has since signed a free agent contract with the New York Jets, and several draft analysts posited that he went undrafted because he lacked standout measurables in a deep class of receivers.
WSU football coach Mike Leach concurs with this assessment.
“I’m always surprised who’s drafted and who’s not because I’ve found the draft over the years to be very random,” Leach said Monday morning on the Pac-12 coaches conference call with reporters. “I think a lot of times guys are selected based on measureables and not how good of a player they are, and Gabe doesn’t measure up on some of the measureables, but he’s a better player than some others.”
So what does Marks have to do to earn a spot on the Jets’ roster?
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“I think the most important thing is to be the best player he can be for that team. He’s got the ability to accomplish things,” Leach said. “He’s the all time leading receiver in the history of the Pac-12, but now the work starts in New York, he’s got to work extremely hard and become a part of that team in order to make it.”
The Jets begin their minicamp this Friday.