Carolina Panthers: Terrace Marshall Jr. could help make elite wideout trio
By Jonah Hovis
The Carolina Panthers already have a great one-two punch in DJ Moore and Robby Anderson on the outside of their offense, but is that enough? The next question is who will be the wideout who will take on the WR3 role while rotating out those guys for specific matchups and take on slot duties. The Panthers signed fourth year wide receiver David Moore in free agency from the Seattle Seahawks who can play all over the field.
Although the Carolina Panthers brought in a familiar face to offensive coordinator Joe Brady in Terrace Marshall Jr. with their second selection in the 2021 NFL Draft.
Terrace Marshall Jr. is a 6-foot-2 205-pound wide-out who is very familiar with the Joe Brady offense that is implemented in Carolina. During the LSU Tigers championship run in 2019, Terrace Marshall Jr. was the third option in their offense but still ended the season with 13 touchdowns. In the 2020 college football season, Marshall became the number one option racking up 48 catches for 731 yards and 10 touchdowns in the condensed season affected by Covid-19. Standing at such a big frame Marshall Jr. obtains a unique power and speed skillset by being a bigger receiver and running in the low 4.4’s at his pro day.
Marshall Jr. played all over the field at his time at LSU from outside at the X and inside taking on slot duties presented to him. Having that familiarity with Joe Brady does not seem to be a problem with him getting thrown into that spot. Like already mentioned Marshall Jr. has a unique skill set that many of the other Carolina Panthers receivers do not have, being a big target that can move. Now sometimes the transition can be difficult for guys so it might take time but Marshall has all the tools to be a starter in this league it all just depends on how Marshall develops during training camp.
As mentioned at the top the Carolina Panthers already have a great duo in Moore and Anderson but need to fill that WR3 spot. Both Moore and Anderson had a 1,000-yard season in 2020 while giving two different looks on each side of this offense. Moore really blossomed this year and showed elite route running, a monster in yards after the catch, and solid hands to compliment his athletic ability. Anderson is lighting in a bottle and he has the unique ability to bolt straight up the field for long gains. Both guys were at the top of their game last year. Now they just need a third guy like Marshall or even Moore to fill that slot.
Terrace Marshall Jr. was not a marquee target at the position in this draft class for he has been in the shadows of a Justin Jefferson or a Ja’Marr Chase his whole college career. Now Marshall still will be in the shadows of Anderson and Moore this season but has all the tools to be a solid compliment receiver to them. He has a big frame, runs well with and without pads and has the flexibility to be really dangerous in slot matches with linebackers and safeties while also being a mismatch in the red zone. Marshall will be competing with Moore for that WR3 spot on the Carolina Panthers, but he could win that job and make an elite wideout trio in Carolina for several years to come.