Marrow prepares for NFL

Recent Penn grad Mitch Marrow will report to rraining camp for the Carolina Panthers next week. He may have been one of the most dominating players in the Ivy League for the past few seasons, but Mitch Marrow may find his next assignment a bit more difficult. On July 23, Marrow, a 1998 College graduate, will report to training camp for the NFL's Carolina Panthers. With the 12th pick in the third round of the 1998 NFL Draft and the 73rd overall selection, the Panthers drafted Marrow, hoping that he would help in rebuilding their defensive line. Marrow's road to success on the Carolina d-line, however, is not completely clear. Marrow was not only the third player drafted by the Panthers this year, but he was also their third defensive lineman. Carolina selected former Nebraska lineman Jason Peter with the 14th pick in the first round and took Chuck Wiley of Louisiana State with the first selection in the third round. A week after the draft, Carolina improved the line even more by signing free agent Sean Gilbert. The 6'5", 315-pound former All-Pro -- who sat out last season for the Washington Redskins -- inked the richest deal for a defensive lineman in NFL history when he signed with Carolina for $46.5 million over seven years. Despite the presence of Peter, Wiley and Gilbert, the 6'5", 280-pound Marrow still has a chance to make an impact on the Carolina line. "[The Carolina coaches] probably want to see everyone in pads before they make any determination," Marrow's agent, Jim Ulrich, said. "It's still too early to tell." Ulrich believes, however, that Marrow, a defensive end at Penn, may see more time at tackle in Carolina. Carolina, who plays a 3-4 defense, will most likely start Gilbert at one of the end positions. Playing time at the other spots on the line will probably be split among Marrow and several other linemen. Before playing time is discussed, however, Marrow must sign a contract with the Panthers. As of last week, only four third round draft picks had signed. Although Ulrich declined to comment on the specifics of the contract negotiations, Marrow is not expected to make outrageous demands because of the rookie salary cap. "We're still negotiating," Ulrich said. "We hope to have a deal signed soon." Once he does ink a deal, Marrow will look to have a healthier and more successful season for the Panthers than he had for the Quakers in 1997. In 1996, Marrow -- a first-team All-Ivy selection -- recorded 16.5 sacks and 60 total tackles in ten games for the Red and Blue. Returning for a fifth year in 1997, Marrow looked to continue his dominance from the preceding year. However, everything, did not go as planned. Early in the season, Marrow contracted a mono-like virus which severely limited his playing time and forced him to drop two classes. After returning from the virus, Marrow recorded 30 total tackles and three sacks for the season. He also developed a case of turf toe late in the season. The most devastating part of Marrow's 1997 campaign, however, came after the season ended. While Marrow was on winter break with the rest of campus, The Philadelphia Inquirer broke a story about his classes and his lack of academic eligibility. When Marrow dropped his two courses, he became ineligible to play football. Late in the season, however, Marrow and Legal Studies Professor Kenneth Shropshire developed an independent study course, so that Marrow could remain eligible. This unconventional addition came weeks after the end of the drop/add period. When the University learned of Marrow's situation, an investigations committee looked into it. As a result of their findings, Penn forfeited every win in which Marrow played, dropping its record from 6-4 to 1-9. With his disappointing '97 season over, Marrow concentrated on improving for the NFL Draft. His performance at the Senior Bowl and several other workouts impressed various people and football publications, including Pro Football Weekly, who believes Marrow's performance improved his status from a late-round to an early-round pick. At the camps, Marrow officially ran a 4.83 40-yard dash, bench-pressed 225 pounds 35 times and vertical jumped 38.5 inches. With these tests of speed and strength behind him, Marrow must now prepare for a much harder test -- his first NFL season.

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.