With the No. 59 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, the Panthers select LSU wide receiver Terrace Marshall….
Terrace Marshall Career Statistics
| YEAR | AGE | Gm | REC | REYDS | RETD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 18.6 | 9 | 12 | 192 | 0 |
| 2019 | 19.6 | 12 | 46 | 671 | 13 |
| 2020 | 20.6 | 7 | 48 | 731 | 10 |
Marshall was a five-star recruit with 24 offers coming out of high school. Playing as the third wheel at wide receiver next to Ja’Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson, Marshall did not break out to their levels in 2019, but he was still elevated by the machine that LSU offense was, catching 46 passes for 671 yards and 13 touchdowns.
Injuring his foot in the fourth game of 2019, Marshall even had more touchdowns (six) than both Chase and Jefferson (five each) and as many receptions (20) as Chase prior to that injury.
With Jefferson going pro and Chase opting out for the 2020 season, Marshall finally got his opportunity to shine and not only did he deliver, he delivered through a quarterback change from Joe Burrow leaving and multiple quarterbacks playing for LSU in 2020.
In seven games played before he also opted out to prepare for the draft, Marshall tallied a 48-731-10 line, producing 27.5% of the receptions, 33.3% of the receiving yardage, and 58.8% of the team receiving touchdowns on 24.2% of the team targets. 21.7% of Marshall’s career receptions went for touchdowns, the highest rate in this class.
Marshall also looks the part better than a number of wideouts in this undersized class at 6’2” and 205 pounds to go along with being the third-youngest wideout in this class. At his Pro Day, Marshall helped his stock with 81st percentile explosion scores (vert+broad) and an 85th speed score.
The downside for Marshall is that his medical history was a pre-draft red flag for the league. Marshall has never played a full season dating back to high school, in which he broke a fibula and dislocated an ankle to go along with injuries he sustained at LSU.
Falling down to pick No. 59, Marshall reminds of what happened to Denzel Mims a year ago, but he becomes the first offensive player selected by the Panthers in the Matt Rhule era while Marshall is reunited with college offensive coordinator Joe Brady.
Carolina wide receivers were one of the most heavily-used groups in 2020. The Panthers used three or more wideouts on 70% of their offensive snaps, while they targeted their wideouts 71% of the time, which ranked third in the league. They closed 10th in the league in yards per target (8.8 yards) when throwing to their wideouts and fourth in receiving yards per game (205.8) as a group, but ranked 28th in the league in collective touchdown receptions with just 10.
The loss of Christian McCaffrey aided some of that usage, but heading into this season, Carolina lost a chunk of opportunities and production when Curtis Samuel left via free agency this offseason. Carolina only has newly signed David Moore and practice squad wideout Omar Bayless under contract beyond this season with the fifth-year option on D.J. Moore.
Early 2021 Terrace Marshall Projection: 92 targets, 56 receptions, 682 yards, 5 TD
