What the Carolina Panthers are Getting in LSU Receiver Terrace Marshall
If there was one take away from the first 60 or so picks in the NFL draft, it was that reunions were a heavy trend across the league. Talented college duos like Ja'Marr Chase and Joe Burrow, Tua Tagovialoa and Jaylen Waddle, DeVonta Smith and Jalen Hurts and Trevor Lawrence and Travis Etienne will all be sporting the same jersey in the NFL.
The same can be said for LSU receiver Terrace Marshall, who won't be teaming up with a former college teammate but rather college coach in Joe Brady. With Marshall, Chase and Justin Jefferson in 2019, Brady orchastrated one of the all time great college offenses in NFL history.
On that team Marshall was the redzone threat and also kind of the forgotten man of the offense, helping him record 13 touchdowns in his sophomore season. Now, Brady and Marshall figure to lead one of the up and coming offenses with plenty of weapons but plenty of change as well.
"I think it speaks volumes to the type of kid and person he is," Brady said of Marshall waiting his turn at LSU. "He never sat there questioning things or complaining. He just went to work and knew his time was going to come, and was going to play his game. When his opportunities came to be the guy, he made the most of it.
"He's an extremely faith-based man. He never gets too high or too low, understands what's ruin control with him. The more you're around him, the more you love his demeanor and everything about him."
We recently caught up with AllPanthers publisher Schuyler Callihan to ask how Marshall fits in the Carolina system and with the personnel currently on the roster.
Adding Terrace Marshall Jr. to an already explosive wide receiving corps means the Panthers are giving new QB Sam Darnold no excuses to fail. DJ Moore and Robby Anderson will be the go-to options in the passing game but Marshall will battle with David Moore for that No. 3 spot. So why add another receiver?
Well, Carolina really struggled in the red zone last year and a lot of that was due to not having a big bodied receiver that can go up and get those 50/50 balls in the back corner of the end zone or couldn’t make clutch catches in traffic. If the Panthers were going to take a receiver at any point in the first two days of the draft it was going to be someone who could come in and immediately fill that void.
Marshall checks all the boxes. Marshall said that he and offensive coordinator Joe Brady have already spoken and that much of the offense is the same from their time at LSU except some alterations in the verbiage. This will give him a bit of a head start and could help the transition to the NFL be a smooth one. I would be surprised if he’s not WR2 by the end of his rookie contract.
