Green Bay Packers pick MarShawn Lloyd of Middletown in 2024 NFL draft

MarShawn Lloyd’s rise to football prominence now includes being an NFL draft pick.

The Middletown resident was chosen by the Green Bay Packers in the third round with the 88th overall pick Friday, a recognition of potential honed in the backfields at South Carolina and Southern Cal.

Lloyd starred as a high school running back at DeMatha in Hyattsville, Maryland, to which he commuted a couple of hours each day. He was heavily recruited and landed at South Carolina, where a preseason camp ACL tear erased his 2020 freshman season.

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The compact 5-foot-9, 220-pound Lloyd then gained 228 yards on 64 carries in backup duty in 2021 and led the Gamecocks with 573 yards on 111 carries with nine TDs in 2022.

But Lloyd truly blossomed after transferring to Southern Cal. He was honorable mention All-Pac 12 last fall after gaining 820 yards on 116 carries with nine TDs. His 7.1 yards per carry ranked seventh in FBS.

Lloyd was named running back MVP during Senior Bowl practices, which certainly improved his NFL opportunities.

The versatile Lloyd also caught 34 passes for 452 yards in his college career and earned notice for his blocking ability as well as a knack for hurdling would-be tacklers. In his NFL.com profile, it said Lloyd “could create explosive plays without as much help from his offensive line.”

He was the fourth running back drafted, following Texas' Jonathan Brooks by Carolina at No. 46, Florida State's Trey Benson at No. 66 by Arizona and Michigan's Blake Corum at No. 83 by the Rams.

Contact Kevin Tresolini at ktresolini@delawareonline.com and follow on Twitter @kevintresolini. Support local journalism by subscribing to delawareonline.com and our DE Game Day newsletter.