 Dial with the South Carolina football team in 2022 | |
| No. 27 – New England Patriots | |
|---|---|
| Position | Cornerback |
| Roster status |  Injured reserve |
| Personal information | |
| Born | (2000-12-06)December 6, 2000 (age 24) Woodruff, South Carolina, U.S. |
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) |
| Weight | 190 lb (86 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Woodruff |
| College | Georgia Military (2019–2020) South Carolina (2021–2023) |
| NFL draft | 2024: 6th round, 180th overall pick |
| Career history | |
| |
| Stats atPro Football Reference | |
Marcellas Rashard Dial Jr. (born December 6, 2000) is an American professionalfootballcornerback for theNew England Patriots of theNational Football League (NFL). He playedcollege football atGeorgia Military College and for theSouth Carolina Gamecocks.
Dial was born on December 6, 2000, and grew up inWoodruff, South Carolina.[1] He attendedWoodruff High School but received little attention to playcollege football, ultimately signing withGeorgia Military College.[2]
As afreshman at Georgia Military in 2019, Dial totaled 10tackles, onefumble recovery and aninterception.[3] The 2020 season was canceled due to theCOVID-19 pandemic, and Dial transferred to theSouth Carolina Gamecocks for the 2021 season.[4][5][6] He had been ranked by247Sports as the 51st-bestjunior college recruit nationally and the seventh-bestcornerback.[7]
In his first year at South Carolina, Dial became a starter and appeared in 13 games, starting seven while posting 33 tackles, sixpass deflections and a forced fumble.[8] In 2022, he played 13 games, starting 10, and had 45 tackles while leading the team with 12 pass breakups and three interceptions.[9][10] He returned for a final season in 2023 and had 36 tackles and 10 pass breakups.[1] Dial was invited to participate at the 2024NFL Scouting Combine.[11]
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 ft11+3⁄4 in (1.82 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | 32 in (0.81 m) | 8+7⁄8 in (0.23 m) | 4.46 s | 1.55 s | 2.61 s | 4.44 s | 7.29 s | 40.5 in (1.03 m) | 10 ft 9 in (3.28 m) | 16 reps | |
| All values fromNFL Combine/Pro Day[12][13][14] | ||||||||||||
Dial was selected in the sixth round with the 180th overall pick in the2024 NFL draft by theNew England Patriots.[15] Dial signed his rookie contract with the Patriots on May 10, 2024.[16] He played in all 17 games with one start, recording 12 tackles and a forced fumble playing primarily on special teams.
In training camp in 2025, Dial suffered a torn ACL and was placed on injured reserve on August 5, 2025, ending his season.[17]
