Marquis Flowers

Marquis Flowers (born February 16, 1992) is an American football outside linebacker for the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Bengals in the sixth round of the 2014 NFL Draft. He played college football at Arizona.

Flowers was born in Phoenix, Arizona, and attended nearby Millennium High School, where he played both running back, wide receiver, and free safety. He first played in 2007 as a sophomore, where he totaled 76 tackles, an interception and a fumble recovery. The following season he played both on offense and defense, rushing for 932 yards and 8 touchdowns, as well as recording 6 receptions for 106 yards. He had 87 tackles on defense, as well as a sack, three interceptions, and another fumble recovery. He played in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl in January 2010.

Recruiting

Flowers attracted interest from several colleges, notably Notre Dame, USC, UCLA, as well as both Arizona State University and the University of Arizona, where he was recruited by Tim Kish. Flowers signed his letter of intent on January 9, 2010.

2010 season

Flowers played sparsely during the 2010 season, recording 11 tackles in 13 games, most of which were on special teams.

2011 season

Flowers moved into the starting free safety position before the 2011 season. He played in all 13 games during that season, and recorded 68 tackles (fourth most on the team), as well as 3 passes defended and an interception.

2012 season

Flowers transferred to outside linebacker during 2012 training camp. Flowers transitioned well, and maintained relatively the same production that he had during his sophomore season. He finished the year with 100 tackles, 5.5 sacks, three interceptions, 6 passes defended and three forced fumbles, one of which he recovered. Flowers was named the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week after Arizona's 39-35 win over USC, where he intercepted two passes and recorded a fumble. In the 2012 New Mexico Bowl against Nevada, a 49-48 Arizona win, Flowers recovered a key onside kick that helped Arizona take a 1-point lead with 19 seconds to go. He then intercepted Nevada quarterback Cody Fajardo on the next play, sealing an Arizona victory. For his performance, he was named the defensive most valuable player.

Flowers was drafted by the Bengals in the sixth round, 212th overall, in the 2014 NFL Draft. He played in all 16 regular-season games as a rookie totaling eight tackles and one pass defended. He suffered a shoulder injury in the final preseason game in 2015 and was placed on injured reserve, missing the entire 2015 season.