2025 NFL draft profile- Purdue offensive lineman Marcus Mbow

2025 Prospect Profile: Purdue offensive tackle Marcus Mbow

By: Zach Browning

Purdue may have been picked to finish last in the Big Ten this season by several different outlets, however, the Boilermakers have plenty of talent their 2024 roster.

Redshirt junior offensive lineman Marcus Mbow is one of Purdue’s top 2025 NFL Draft prospects.

At this point, Mbow is still a slightly under-the-radar prospect for the draft, despite being mocked to go as early as the end of the first round by some experts. Most publications have the Boilermaker coming off the board at some point on day two of the 2025 NFL Draft, but if Mbow can put together another strong season in West Lafayette, he could turn himself into a first round selection.

Over the last couple of years, Mbow has established himself as one of the top offensive linemen in a conference filled with talent along the offensive front. Just one game into the 2024 season, Mbow is already off to a strong start. In Purdue’s blowout win to open the season over FCS opponent Indiana State, Mbow graded out as the Big Ten’s top right tackle, according to Pro Football Focus.

A former three-star recruit, there’s a lot to like about what Mbow can bring to the table at the next level. He’s a player to watch this season as he looks to improve his draft stock ahead of next year’s draft in Green Bay.

Here’s Draft Nation’s profile on Purdue offensive lineman Marcus Mbow.

Strengths

A multi-year starter for the Boilermakers, Mbow spent the 2022 season starting at right guard before moving to right tackle ahead of the 2023 campaign. During his time as a starting member of Purdue’s offensive line, Mbow has collected two All-Big Ten honorable mention selections.

During the 2022 season, Mbow played a sizable role in Purdue’s Big Ten-leading passing attack. He was also instrumental in helping Boilermaker running back Devin Mockobee shatter the program’s single-season freshman rushing record.

Perhaps the skill that has NFL scouts most intrigued in Mbow is his positional versatility along the offensive line. He has starting experience playing both guard and tackle at the college level. Mbow’s 6-foot-5, 300-pound frame allows him to handle both the guard and tackle spot effectively at the collegiate level.

Another one of Mbow’s top traits is how well he uses his hands while blocking. Mbow possesses strong hands, with excellent grip strength, allowing him to counter almost anything an opposing pass rusher may throw his way.

Mbow doesn’t just have strong hands though. He’s rock solid throughout his frame, making him tough for opposition power rushers to move. Mbow does a good job of anchoring himself into the ground with his strong foundation, allowing his quick and strong hands to do the rest.

While his passing blocking may be slightly more advanced than his run blocking at this stage of his career, Mbow has no problem playing physical and allowing running backs to run behind him in the ground game – that’s likely a byproduct of his extensive experience at guard.

Mbow finishes blocks quickly, utilizing his strength and aggressiveness. That subsequently allows him to quickly work to the second level of defenders on running plays, a skill that is also likely a result of Mbow’s hard-working mentality and high motor.

Throughout his career at Purdue, Mbow has allowed just one sack in over 700 career snaps. His starting experience at multiple positions, combined with his NFL-level blocking traits, make Mbow one of the top offensive linemen prospects in the Big Ten.

Weaknesses

While Mbow is one of the top offensive line prospects in the conference this season, there are still some things holding him back from being a surefire lock to go on day one of the 2025 NFL Draft.

Standing at 6-foot-5, combined with Mbow’s shorter-than-desirable arms, the Boilermaker doesn’t project to play tackle at the NFL level. Instead, the interior of the offensive line is likely where Mbow’s professional future resides.

When playing on the outside, Mbow can sometimes get a bit too over aggressive. When he does, his pads tend to get too high which gives his opponents the leverage advantage over Mbow.

Most likely the biggest red flag in Mbow’s player profile is his limited mobility, yet another reason guard is likely the long-term home for the Wisconsin native at the NFL level.

Despite an excellent initial kick step, Mbow has tough time moving laterally against smaller, quicker edge rushers. He can tend to get beat around the outside given that limited lateral mobility.

Additionally, while playing guard during the 2022 season, Mbow struggled with recognizing stunts against more complex defensive schemes. His reaction time against different blitz packages left much to be desired during his redshirt sophomore campaign, granted it was two years ago.

Lastly, Mbow missed the back half of the 2023 season due to a broken leg he suffered in week six against Iowa. Despite the injury setback, Mbow still earned an All-Big Ten honorable mention selection a season ago. At this point, just one game into the season, it remains to be seen how he’ll look coming off the injury.