INDIANAPOLIS —Cornerback Marvell Tell III, the Indianapolis Colts' fifth-round (144th-overall) pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, held his first media conference call on Saturday. What did he have to say about his game?
At USC you were listed as a safety, but you are listed at cornerback here. Do you have that anywhere in your background or is that going to be something new for you?
"No, I played corner in high school. I worked on my cover skills a little bit as a safety in college. So it's not anything foreign to me at all."
Did you get that talk from a lot of teams asking you to switch to corner in the NFL?
"Yes, because I'm a lean safety so a lot of guys were wondering if I could play corner, especially with that new wave of longer corners in the league. So I definitely got that a lot."
How much did the Colts talk about that with you?
"Quite a bit, quite a bit. Yeah, they were one of the main ones talking about it."
Did you have a lot of contact with the Colts during the process?
"I did, I did. Honestly, I had a pretty good feeling about the Colts throughout this process. But they kept in contact with me the most out of any other team."
You worked out for them, correct? And a couple other teams?
"Yes, I worked out with three other teams besides the Colts."
What did the Colts say they envision you doing?
"Probably as a corner, corner-safety knowing both."
At USC, how much did you line up at corner or were you mainly a deep safety there?
"No, I was mainly a deep safety. My duty – I rolled down a lot more. I didn't play much corner in college."
You tested kind of off the charts at the NFL Combine. Do you have any other sports in your background or has it always been just football?
"Yes, I grew up playing basketball, ran some track. Those are my other two main sports."
That was just in high school and it was only football at USC?
"Yes."
Which positon do you like better, corner or safety?
"Man, it's hard to tell. I like football. Of course I have got more experience at safety, but I might grow into a corner. I could potentially like that position a little more."
What characteristics do you have that make you feel that the move to corner could be a smooth transition for you?
"I'm quick in short-area range, long arms to get my hands on guys, pretty good eyes and I'm intelligent. So I can break down a receiver or break down the offense and anticipate things."
Would you say a big jump would just be man coverage looks in the NFL versus what your responsibilities were in college?
"Yeah, right. Correct."
Did you do much special teams at USC and is that somewhere you think you can make an impact right away?
"Definitely. I played all four years on specials teams – a lot of punt, field goal block and kickoff as well. So those are the ones I will start in."
Did you expect to go any earlier or any later or is this where you were guessing?
"My agent had told me the highest was third (and) lowest round was fifth. So kind of in this range. I am just blessed for the opportunity man."
