2021 NFL Draft: Terrace Marshall Jr., the other LSU wide receiver

Film Review

Since Marshall opted out of the last three games of the season, he would finish 2020 with 48 receptions for 731 yards. With 10 touchdowns and an average of 15.2 yards per catch, Marshall was the leader in all offensive categories through seven games. But what makes Marshall an intriguing option in the 2021 NFL Draft isn’t how good his stats are or how many receptions he pulled in.

What matters in Marshall’s case is the form he showed while playing and how well he squared up against defenders, whether they were outside cornerbacks, safeties or nickel defensive backs. Process, after all, is more important than results when it comes to scouting NFL Draft prospects. Let’s review Marshall’s film and see the things he did well.

Playing primarily as a slot receiver in 2020 in place of the departed Jefferson, Marshall transitioned to the position with grace, as if he had always been made to play the position. Most slot receivers win by being smaller, craftier and quicker on hitch and comebacks while leveraging mismatches against safeties and linebackers to get quick-game yards. But at 6-foot-3, Marshall was able to smash that paradigm, defeating defenders down the middle of the field with his size and quick reaction times, whether he went vertical or ran an out-route. The play below is one of the best catches Marshall made all season (Week One, 2020) and illustrates why Marshall has such a high floor in the NFL.

With the outside receivers on go-routes and Marshall on a deep post route along the seam, Marshall pulls two safeties, with two linebackers teasing they might drop with him. On a play like this, most slot receivers might run an out-route or a hitch to pick up some easy yards on a first down, especially considering both outside cornerbacks are playing off-man coverage and neither linebacker drops more than seven yards in zone coverage.

Instead, Marshall is able to use speed to get past his primary defender, curving in-ward on the catch to put both defenders off-balance, thus enabling that when the ball arrives neither defender would be able to jump, leaving him as the tallest player in the vicinity of the pass. Marshall quickly pulls the ball to his chest as he’s tackled, launching himself into the end zone with his free foot as he comes to the ground for a 37-yard touchdown.

Marshall would end up doing this again in the fourth quarter, that time bringing in a 33-yard reception. But the play above shows all the things Marshall does well on the offense. He shows solid fundamentals for a receiver: Clean release off the line of scrimmage, speed to get past his defender and a clean transition as he breaks inward downfield, leaving his defenders unprepared to change direction and buying himself a few feet to make the catch.

Marshall’s long arms give him a wide catch radius as well, gifting less than accurate passers a bigger target than some other receivers. Needless to say, Marshall has all the size and skills scouts will be looking for in the 2021 NFL Draft.

The best thing about Marshall as a prospect this spring? He has the size, speed and skills to play as either an outside receiver or a slot receiver. Marshall is just as adept at playing outside, as illustrated in the play above (Week One, 2020). This time it was a 33-yard touchdown catch, exhibiting a little bit of everything scouts love to see from a receiver.

Despite his defender playing off-man, Marshall is able to slide past him as he enters to end-zone. He makes a one-arm catch as the defender falls on his other arm, securing the ball against his body as he falls. Marshall makes sure to drag his toes as well: He was in-bounds by a mile but in a disorienting situation where a defender is obscuring his view, it shows good-form and instincts to make sure the toes drag just in case.

This reception isn’t perfect, obviously. He gets a little handsy at the end there, pushing off his defender while the ball is in the air. Since the cornerback initiated contact around the five-yard line, it’s hard to know for sure which player would be called for pass interference if it had been in the NFL. Regardless, it feels like nitpicking even mentioning it.

Marshall’s season, as a whole though, could have been better: He had seven dropped passes out of 55 catchable passes according to PFF. But considering the fact Marshall hasn’t had trouble with dropped passes in the past, it’s hard to know whether this is a new trend or a one-year blip.

It is hard to find much not to like about Marshall’s film. It is a testament to the depth of the receiver class this year that PFF has him ranked as the eighth-best wide receiver available in the 2021 NFL Draft. In the next section, we’ll discuss three reasons why Marshall will be more successful in the pro’s than other receivers drafted before him and why NFL coaches should be hoping their general manager selects Marshall early in the draft.