Prospect Profile: Terrace Marshall, Jr.

Written by: Sheahan Arnott (@sheahansolo)
Image design: Justin Barber (@justin_b)

TERRACE MARSHALL, JR.
Position: WR
School: Junior - LSU
H: 6’3”
W: 200lbs

The prototypical size/speed combination for a modern wide receiver, Terrace Marshall Jr was the Jose Carreras to Justin Jefferson and Ja’Marr Chase’s Luciano Pavarotti and Placido Domingo during LSU’s National Championship-winning 2019 season. And with Jefferson making an almighty splash in the NFL and Chase opting out of the season, Marshall showed he might be as capable of hitting the big note in Nessun Dorma as his more high-profile teammates.

After posting 46/671/13 as a sophomore, Marshall backed it up with 48/731/10 in only 7 games before opting out of the rest of the season. He finished up his college career with an average of 15 yards-per-reception and a touchdown every 4.6 touches.

Marshall is one of the youngest receivers on the board, but neither his breakout age nor his dominator score stands out among his peers. Yet given he won’t legally be able to celebrate getting drafted with an alcoholic drink, there’ plenty of room for growth.

STRENGTHS

Solid short-area quickness for his size
Effective route-runner if lacking polish
Innate physical tools

Marshall’s smooth, long speed shows up nicely on tape. He has no problem moving through the gears and getting open based on his sheer athleticism. He has a nice flowing stride and can throttle up and down as required.

His agility stands out on tape as well. He would benefit from getting his hips lower in and out of his cuts, but his feet are quick enough to make sharp square cuts in his routes and make players miss with ball-in-hand.

Marshall understands the theory of playing wide receiver at an elite level. He works hard to not cede the inside to his defender and stacks well to give his QB a better throwing angle where he can. He clearly works hard on his route-running and the little things he does separate him as one of the better receiving talents in the class.

WEAKNESSES

Inconsistent hands and catching technique
Plays smaller than his size
Lacks fine body control

Just as Marshall’s Pro Bowl potential is plain to see when watching his tape, so are his shortcomings. He struggled with drops this season - a combination of taking his eyes off the ball to look up field and taking his eyes off the ball to look at a defender bearing down on him. Marshall is hardly the first person to enter the league with questionable hands, but if he can’t get better at securing the ball, he’ll find himself getting frozen out by his quarterback or the subject of abuse from a man saving people from a burning building.

It wasn’t just the concentration drops that had me concerned though; Marshall doesn’t position himself or his hands in a way to keep the defender from making a play on the ball. He defaults to taking body catches rather than going up to get the ball. He made a great one-handed catch for a TD against Mississippi State, but he may have been better served coming back towards the ball and almost winning the ball against a shorter opponent rather than wanting to take it low where his defender could knock the ball away.

Although Marshall has a strong frame, he almost plays as though no one has told him that’s he’s bigger than most of his opponents. His blocking is laughably bad - he got pancaked by a DB on consecutive snaps against Mississippi State - and he doesn’t show a great appetite for going up to win contested catches. If he were a running back, scouts would talk about him not finishing his runs off. Despite his agility and size, he’s easily brought down.

The league’s best receivers mirror Olympic gymnasts in their mastery over every muscle in their body. The balance and body control required to be an elite receiver is part of what makes the Julio Joneses of the world so incredible to watch on Sundays. On the other hand, you have Marshall who appears to lack the fine control over his body to make him a truly consistent receiver in the NFL.

We’re aren’t talking about the freakish athletic catches of OBJ here, but rather the ability to contort one’s body in the air to make a catch at full extension where a defender can’t make a play on the ball, or the control and balance to drag one’s toes and haul in a pass heading out of bounds. Marshall looked at times like he knew what to do - or what he wanted to do - but his body didn’t want to do it for him.

FANTASY FORECAST

Dynasty - Pick 10 onwards.
Redraft - Waivers
Best Ball - Late round flyer with upside

Terrace Marshall looks like a classic NFL X- or Z-receiver which means he’s going to make dynasty players’ eyes light up when they see his size, likely combine numbers, and college production. He’s not quite in the same elite category as Chase, Smith, and Waddle of the class, but there will be leagues where’s the fourth receiver taken - especially if he goes in the first round.

He’ll likely start his career as a deep threat receiver and slowly add more elements to his game. He’s a more refined product than DK Metcalf, but he’s also not the same athletic freak. His hands are a concern, but so was Julio’s coming into the league. And Demaryius Thomas. And Davante Adams couldn’t catch a bus for the first few years of his career. Hell, even Calvin Johnson had drop issues in college. If you decide to take a running back early in your draft and walk away with Marshall at the top of the second round in your dynasty rookie draft, then you’ve got every right to feel pretty excited about it.

Landing spot will be more important for Marshall in redraft than in dynasty, at least in his first season. If he goes to a team with an opening at flanker or split end then it’ll be worth monitoring his training camp and maybe taking a stab in the last round if you’re looking for upside.

I don’t think he’ll ever develop into a predictable, bankable receiver, but he’ll likely have his WR2 seasons where he wins and loses a week or two off his own back for you. I’d expect his baseline to be 750 yards and 5 TDs most seasons if he goes to a decent offense.

PLAYS LIKE
Dan Orlovski wrote that he sees a bit of Michael Thomas in the way Marshall plays. I see him as a Breshad Perriman-type albeit with a bit more versatility and hopefully a better career. Marshall will likely be most effective on 7/8/9 routes but offers more in the screen/underneath game than the much-maligned Jets receiver.

VERDICT
Marshall is among the top prospects in this class for a reason, but there are enough question marks to not have him among the very top names in what could be a historic draft class. The good news for whoever drafts him is that his issues are fixable and his innate attributes are outstanding.

His game overall is solid but lacks polish and some time in the NFL environment should help him flourish. He may always struggle in the blocking game and he might never “Moss” his opponents the same way some of his classmates will, but if you like enormous upside than he might be your man in the draft.

Like any receiver, if he goes to a good landing spot, he’ll fly up dynasty draft boards, but I’d caution anyone who thinks they’re drafting the next DK Metcalf if they pick him in the first.