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A spirit that is not afraid

How NFL hopeful Marquel Harrell has adapted his draft preparations amid COVID-19

“Three of my five closest friends that are Auburn are in the NFL," Harrell said. “So it’s a great motivation to see those guys."

<p>Marquel Harrell (77) takes part in the Senior Day Ceremony prior to the start of Auburn Football vs. Alabama, on Saturday, Nov. 30, 2019, in Auburn, Ala.</p>

Marquel Harrell (77) takes part in the Senior Day Ceremony prior to the start of Auburn Football vs. Alabama, on Saturday, Nov. 30, 2019, in Auburn, Ala.

It’s 7 a.m. and Marquel Harrell is getting his day started. In the morning, he'll eat, do yoga and then work on as many homework assignments as possible. He'll relax until about 4 p.m. with some video games and then go for a run and work on some position drills. 

This is the new normal for Harrell as he adapts to not only having to stay at home like COVID-19 has forced many to do, but he also has to prepare for the NFL draft in April. While it seems like every sporting event in the foreseeable future is either suspended or outright cancelled, the NFL is still planning on holding its draft in a virtual sense from April 23-25.

The former Auburn offensive lineman is just one of numerous Tigers that are hoping to either hear their name called next month or sign as an undrafted free agent. Harrell and his teammates that did not receive invites to the NFL Combine were some of the lucky few college football players that were even able to participate in pro day. 

Auburn was one of two SEC schools that hosted pro day this year before the SEC shut down all remaining sporting events March 17. The annual event gives players that did not receive an NFL Combine invite to perform in front of NFL scouts and coaches.

Just being able to participate in pro day was something that Harrell was grateful for. 

“At the end of the day, I was blessed to be able to do my pro day and I performed really well,” Harrell said in an interview with The Plainsman. “Anytime you’re able to get out in front of scouts and perform, that’s a blessing.”

Since Auburn’s pro day the offensive lineman has been sticking to his new normal routine of yoga in the morning and conditioning and position-specific work in the late afternoon. While a 6-foot-3 lineman weighing in at 307 pounds may not look like the typical yogi, Harrell has become a fan.    

He began doing yoga in early January because he felt like one of the things that he needed to work on as a player was his flexibility. He started taking classes at The Yoga Room in Auburn and continues doing yoga at home now.  

“One of my things that I felt like I had to improve on as a player was my flexibility,” Harrell said. “So, I just signed up for some classes at The Yoga Room which is basically right across the street from Niffer’s in Auburn and I just have been hooked ever since the first class. And I just needed growth over the time and that was like implemented into my training sessions as well.”

While people around the world are still adjusting to staying at home, another issue for a lot of people has been going to the grocery store. For an athlete looking to stay in shape this could be an even bigger challenge, but Harrell has perfected his grocery store list. 

“A lot of people don’t go for the produce like fresh produce which is weird because it’s always like there in the store,” Harrell said. “So, I try and get a lot of fresh produce like apples and oranges and my vegetables and stuff. Then I meal prep everything as far as food, like I might make pasta on Monday, and that’ll stretch me for four days and then I’ll eat like sandwiches and stuff.”

Having to eat at home has helped Harrell save money that went toward eating out at restaurants like Chick-fil-A or Zaxby’s. 

He may be able to have a somewhat typical routine when it comes to grocery shopping and working out, but one of the challenges has been communicating with NFL teams. 

Harrell says that players stay in constant contact with teams but physically going up to see them and their facilities or having teams go to see players is not happening with everything being shut down.

“You can’t go to their facility, they can’t come down here and watch you work out," Harrell said. "So like the private workout is straining and like mental straining too because it’s like, okay, I did good at pro day and I went to a private workout and I did good and that one team that takes a chance on me."

Even though players are unable to visit teams, Harrell can get a good idea of what it's like because some of his closest friends are already playing in the NFL. The NFL players in his friend group include Darius Slayton, Kerryon Johnson and Jamel Dean.

“We always hung together whether it was video games or grabbing food, we were always close," Harrell said of that group. "You know how your parents say surround yourself with the people you want to become ..."

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The five friends all came to Auburn in 2015 and while all of them have left the Plains at different times, they still stay connected with one another. Now the possibility of joining his closest friends in the NFL is another motivating factor for Harrell.  

“Three of my five closest friends that are Auburn are in the NFL," Harrell said. “So it’s a great motivation to see those guys. Kerryon was the first one to leave so all of us watching him when he first got to the league, we were all so pumped up and so excited for him. It was the same way last year with Jamel and Darius, really it’s just a big motivation factor. I’m praying one day that I can play either with them or against them in a game in some form or fashion.” 

Kerryon Johnson (21) runs the ball in the first half. Auburn vs Georgia in the SEC Championship Game on Saturday, Dec. 2 in Atlanta, Ga.


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