Rookie wide receiver Terrace Marshall Jr. has some big shoes to fill this season as he tries to replace the production of Curtis Samuel who departed for Washington. He won't necessarily have the same role as Samuel did in the Panthers' offense but at first glance of the roster, Marshall is the guy that appears to be the most likely to settle into the No. 3 role behind DJ Moore and Robby Anderson.
Andrew Erickson of Pro Football Focus believes that will be the case stating that Marshall is a dark horse candidate to lead the 2021 wide receiver class in touchdowns this season.
Of course 1st round picks Ja'Marr Chase (Bengals), DeVonta Smith (Eagles), Jaylen Waddle (Dolphins), Kadarius Toney (Giants), and Rashod Bateman (Ravens) are expected to have big seasons as a rookie but the scheme and system are a perfect fit for Marshall. He will be very familiar with the offense having being coached by Joe Brady at LSU.
"Terrace's mindset is what separates him," Panthers offensive coordinator Joe Brady said. "I think he's one of those guys that never gets too high, never gets too low and I think that's important at the wide receiver position. You're going to have good plays and bad plays and when you watch Terrace, no matter how many games he played he was productive. I think he probably would have been more productive, he just so happened to be playing with other great players. I think when you combine his mindset and his playmaking ability, that's something that we definitely look for."
As much as Brady likes to sling the ball around and as bad as Carolina was in the red zone a year ago, there's no question that Marshall has the ability to emerge into the team's go-to target inside the 20. If that's the case, then Marshall leading the 2021 draft class in touchdowns becomes a strong possibility.Â
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