Marquis Hayes Leaves A Mark

Marquis Hayes, the Cardinals’ final seventh-round pick this season, has already done enough in camp to get a reputation.

A scrap or two will do that for a guy. It’s certainly impressed his veteran tackle.

“There is certain stuff you just can’t coach,” D.J. Humphries said. “We can get your feet right, we can get your technique right. We can’t make you want to punch somebody in the face.”

Hayes, who played left guard at Oklahoma but has mostly worked at right guard so far as a rookie, isn’t denying it.

“It’s just always been there since I was younger, had that edge to me,” Hayes said.

It got him in trouble at times at Oklahoma – he estimated he had “a couple, probably like 15” flags for extracurricular penalties in college. While Hayes is likely high with that guess, he acknowledged that his physical style, “sometimes it hurts me.”

“I’m a rookie, so I don’t try to go out there and do nothing crazy, try to respect the vets,” Hayes said. “But when I’m in with the ‘2s,’ I try to go hard with that because we are on the same level trying to compete for the team.”

The fight to gain a backup offensive line spot is intense. After the starters, Sean Harlow is certain to stick as the backup center. Josh Jones will be there as a swing tackle. After that? Hayes, Justin Murray, Josh Miles, Lecitus Smith and Rashaad Coward all have arguments to make on a roster that may keep only nine at the position.

“You watch certain players and you know they go after people each and every snap and they are pushing off and they are finishing,” coach Kliff Kingsbury said. “They are usually ones at which no one is going to try to retaliate. Will (Hernandez) and Big Mo kind of fit that criteria.

“When (Hayes) knows where to go, he is moving bodies and coming with a purpose.”

Knowing where to go is still a work-in-progress. Humphries said Hayes has the one-on-one battles “down to a science” but Hayes still must improve on learning his role in the big picture.

That too can be coached, Humphries said, to…