LSU Football Names That Will Be Called on Day Two of 2021 NFL Draft
It was a relatively quiet evening for LSU compared to last year's NFL draft. We now officially know that Ja'Marr Chase will officially reunite with Joe Burrow in the NFL with Cincinnati selecting Chase No. 5 overall.
But Chase would go on to be the only first round selection of the draft, meaning there are plenty of former Tigers who should hear their names called on day two of the draft. Here's a breakdown of where each player stands heading into the second and third rounds.
Terrace Marshall (WR)
It was a bit surprising to see Marshall slide out of the first round as he has the size and athletic traits to be a difference making receiver for a number of offenses. He's likely to hear his name called early in the second round with teams at the top of the draft like Jacksonville and Detroit needing receivers to complement their new quarterbacks.
Marshall was mocked to the Arizona Cardinals in the second round by Sports Illustrated, who would be a great addition for Kyler Murray opposite Deandre Hopkins.
"Kliff Kingsbury’s Air Raid asks its receivers to win one-on-one battles in iso routes, and considering they often play four-wide it’s imperative the Cardinals add talent at receiver. Marshall dominated as a big slot receiver at LSU and would fit nicely in the old Larry Fitzgerald role."
After accumilating 23 touchdowns over his final two seasons at LSU, Marshall no doubt is the kind of redzone target who can benefit many teams. Marshall shouldn't have to wait too long to hear his name called on Friday but there are other receivers like Ole Miss' Elijah Moore who is still on the board as well.
Jabril Cox (LB)
The draft process has been up and down for the one year LSU linebacker, who wasn't able to hold an official pro day until April 26. He was able to post a 4.52 40-yard dash and jump a 34-inch vertical in front of multiple NFL organizations.
With the impact he showed at LSU, his traits were shown to be able to transcend any competition level. He is a dominant sideline-to-sideline linebacker who can also rush the passer. Cox has outstanding coverage ability, in both man and zone.
The Philadelphia Eagles was recently mocked as a potential landing spot for Cox at No. 37 overall. The New Orleans Saints are another team further down the draft order that have shown interest in Cox throughout the draft process.
"The Eagles have never put a premium on linebackers, but Nick Sirianni brought defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon with him from Indy, and those two saw firsthand the value of a big-time linebacker in Darius Leonard. Cox isn’t at Leonard’s level—he struggles to get through traffic—but his speed is perfect for Gannon’s fast-flowing defense."
Tyler Shelvin (DT)
Shelvin's stock is one of the most difficult to project as his talent is undeniable but questions around his weight and fit in the NFL have him all over the place. At one point before the 2020 season, he was viewed as a potential first round pick but after opting out his stock was impacted and has seemed to fall out of the top 100 prospects in the class.
Any team that drafts him will need to have a vision in place as he thrived in the 3-4 defense the Tigers ran in 2019, being a consistent run stuffer but struggled to consistently get after the quarterback. His size will also be a question but he's somebody that definitely jump into the third round because of his talent.
"From me learning how to pass rush, it was tough, but when I opted out, the goals went back to me learning my pros — I'm a good run stopper," Shelvin said. "Excellent run stopper — and my cons, I need to work on pass rush, learning to rush the passer and learn how to get some more push. So I mean, it was a good process and I thank him for it, and that really showed today, working the big bags, showing I can get off and rush the passer."
