Will Injury Issues Force Terrace Marshall to Slide Past Ravens in First Round of NFL Draft?

The Ravens have been linked to LSU wide receiver Terrace Marshall with the 27th overall pick in this year's NFL draft.

However, some injury concerns might impact Marshall's position in the draft, according to NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah. 

"I think unfortunately Terrence Marshall has had some medical stuff that popped at the combine so I think that could cause him to slide a little bit," Jeremiah said in a conference call with the media. "I think Rashod Bateman is probably going to be that guy that goes in that range, late one, early two." 

Jeremiah did not get specifics on the injury issues. 

However, Marshall was sidelined for a month with a broken foot as a sophomore in 2019. As a senior in high school, he suffered a season-ending leg injury that carried over to his freshman year at LSU. 

Marshall is a big, physical wide receiver (6-foot-3, 210 pounds) that would be a good fit for the AFC North. He is an exceptional route runner, averaging 15 yards per receptions, and can make plays after the catch. His 731 yards receiving ranked third in the SEC. Marshall also has a nose for the end zone and scored 23 touchdowns over his past 19 games.

The Ravens are looking to upgrade a passing game that ranked 32nd in the NFL last season. As a result, several wide receivers have been linked to Baltimore in the first round, including Marshall, Rashod Bateman (Minnesota), Kadarius Toney (Florida) and Rondale Moore, Purdue.

Baltimore has yet to develop a home-grown, Pro Bowl wide receiver throughout its history. That could change in the near term, according to Jeremiah. 

"I think it's gotten easier. I think as the NFL game mirrors more the college game it's gotten easier to project what these guys are going to do and get them on the field and get them productive," Jeremiah said. "In years past you didn't know how they were going to function with all the stuff that was going to be asked of them in terms of sight adjustments and those things, but they've taken a lot of that stuff and simplified it. I think it's easier now than it's ever been. Yeah, it's just one of those positions. The Ravens have not had trouble anywhere else, but that's been a little bit of the bugaboo. I think it is, for them and everybody else, it's getting easier."

The Ravens have also been linked to a pass rusher after Matt Judon (Patriots) Yannick Ngakoue (Raiders) and Jihad Ward (Jaguars) left via free agency.