After targeting the offensive side of the ball with the first five selections of the 2024 NFL Draft, the sixth round finally brought a new defender to New England on Saturday afternoon in South Carolina cornerback Marcellas Dial.
Dial comes in at just under 6-feet and 191 pounds. He ran an impressive 4.46 40 at the NFL Scouting Combine.
Dial played three seasons for the Gamecocks after opening his college career at Georgia Military College. He started 29 of 38 games at South Carolina, leading the team in passes defended over the last two falls. He saw reps at safety, nickel and outside corner over the last two seasons and also work on special teams.
Dial has NFL size and speed, but some questions about his fluidity in coverage had him ranked as a would-be seventh-round pick by The Athletic. His production in the SEC – 25 passes defensed and three interceptions – over the last two seasons should make him a competitive option in the back end of a New England defense that has questions in terms of depth at cornerback behind second-year rising star Christian Gonzalez and more slot-based options like Jonathan Jones and Marcus Jones.