The Panthers selected former LSU standout WR, Terrace Marshall Jr., to dominate the red zone as the team’s third wideout and also reunite him with wonderboy offensive mind, Joe Brady. Just like at LSU, Marshall will be able to take advantage of opposing defensive backs due to his physicality (6-foot-2, 200 lbs) and his ability to feast on lesser defensive backs.
With DJ Moore and Robby Anderson set to man the outside wideout spots, Marshall is set to take over the Panthers’ vacant slot position, which was previously manned by Curtis Samuel — albeit Marshall will bring a much different skill-set to that area.
In a contract season, Samuel was finally able to put it all together out of the slot, where he totaled 851 receiving yards and three receiving touchdowns on 77 receptions.
“Marshall lined up both inside and outside at LSU, where he caught 13 touchdown passes during the Tigers’ national championship season of 2019,” wrote The Athletic’s Joseph Person. “Marshall, who led the Tigers in receiving last season despite opting out after seven games, thinks his size plays well in the slot, which might be his best fit in Carolina as the Panthers look for a replacement for Curtis Samuel.”
When Justin Jefferson departed for the NFL last season, Marshall lined up out of the slot for a discombobulated Tiger offense. Marshall was the lone bright spot and accounted for 39 percent of the team’s receiving yards and 38 percent of the team’s receiving touchdowns in only seven games.
“Especially if I’m moving in to the slot from back outside, that’s a big advantage over the DBs,” Marshall told reporters. “So I’ll just use my strengths to my advantage. I’m comfortable anywhere on the field. I’ll do whatever coach asks me to, wherever he puts me in a position to succeed.”
DOMINANT IN THE BAYOU
The highly touted five-star wideout was forced to play not the second, but the third fiddle to both Ja’Marr Chase and Jefferson during LSU’s dominant 2019 title run. However, he still found a way to amass 671 yards and 13 touchdowns on 46 receptions during that magical season with Joe Burrow.
The big-bodied receiver plays bigger than his measurables, which often showed up in the red zone, where he caught 23 touchdowns in only 20 career starts.
His overall athleticism is a bit behind both Chase and Jefferson, but he recorded two touchdowns of 70-plus yards and another two touchdowns of 50-plus yards last season.
“Once I get in the game, my mindset is to kill whoever’s in front of me.
“So I’m just taking it one day at a time, and whenever it gets there, whoever’s in front of me’s gonna have to handle me.”
— #LSU WR Terrace Marshall Jr. (@Terracemjr), on facing opposing teams’ top corners pic.twitter.com/ZBSNSOuOoj— Jerit Roser (@JeritRoser) September 10, 2020
Separate foot and leg fractures in high school, along with a mid-season opt-out gave NFL teams pause prior to the draft, but the Panthers trusted Brady’s experience with the rookie and selected him in the second round.
“Overall, Marshall faces an adjustment period as he develops his separation skills vs. NFL coverage, but he is a field-stretcher who can climb the ladder and give his quarterback a large strike zone,” wrote Dane Brugler before the draft. “He projects as an inside/outside NFL starter if the medicals check out.”
MAKING AN EARLY IMPACT
It didn’t take long for Marshall to showcase the influence of his past experience with Brady calling the shots.
“Not too many people are 6-2, 200-plus, run a 4.3, and are able to make plays on the ball like Terrace does,” Brady said. “When the ball’s in the air, Terrace always finds a way to come down with it, and I think he showcased that every time he was on the football field.”
According to Person, Marshall made the catch of the day last week when he went up and snagged a Sam Darnold deep ball over former All-Pro cornerback AJ Bouye. Person said Marshall showed off his lengthy catch radius and his strong hands throughout the day.
tmj preview 👀@Terracemjr pic.twitter.com/z81zrDgHK9
— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) July 29, 2021
“He made some big catches,” Panthers coach Matt Rhule said. “They’ve done a nice job of identifying a role for him and saying, hey, just concentrate on this right now.”
As noted several times, working under Brady should help expedite the learning curve for the rookie.
“I feel like it benefits not only me, but it benefits everybody playing alongside me,” Marshall said of his familiarity with Brady’s style. “Everybody eats; that’s the mentality from Joe Brady. He likes to feed everybody the ball and make sure everybody’s getting their share.
“I just feel like as long as I stay focused, keep my head down and keep grinding, stay in my playbook, come out here and execute and do what my coaches ask, everything’s going to play out well.”
Not everything will be rainbows and unicorns for the former LSU standout, but Marshall is passing the test so far.
“He’s got long arms. He’s got big hands. You can back-shoulder him. You can throw it over the top,” Rhule said. “Like any rookie, he’s going to have some good days, some bad days. I thought today looked like a good day.”
SUMMARY
With defenses keying on McCaffrey, Moore, and Anderson, look for Marshall to feast as Darnold’s fourth option, especially in the red zone. He brings a physical component to an offense that is ready to take it to the next level.
“All I can say is, we have a great vision for him as a Carolina Panther. The skillset he has is going to be a great asset to our offense,” Brady said. “The more weapons you have is always better. It’s our job to find out what he does well, and put him in positions to have success. Excited to get back to work with him, and see him earn it all over again.”
There is a lot of competition for targets, but it shouldn’t shock anyone if Marshall hauled in over eight touchdowns as a rookie.
Marshall ranks WR61 (+20 vs the ECR) on our 2021 Fantasy Rankings and WR56 on our Dynasty Rankings.
