This series was created a number of years ago in response to questions about why certain well-known prospects went unselected in NFL drafts. For these articles, I reach out to sources with NFL teams to find out why their organizations passed on drafting a given player, and/or, what were the reasons for other teams to pass on that prospect. The positive response to “Why Undrafted” and questions from readers about why prospects were drafted lower than the media expectations led us to create the parallel series “Why the Slide?”
Both series are back this year. Feel free to email me requests for Why the Slide? and Why Undrafted? at [email protected]. I can’t promise to get to all of them, but I will do my best and definitely will respond to the email.
The 2019 LSU Tigers enjoyed a dream season when they fielded a legendary offense led by Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase, Justin Jefferson and Clyde Edwards-Helaire. An unsung hero of that point-machine offense was Marshall, who as the third receiver did some major damage in his limited opportunities given the majority of the passes going to Chase and Jefferson. That season, Marshall caught 46 passes for 671 yards and 13 touchdowns.
Marshall took over as LSU’s No. 1 receiver in 2020, but he had to play with multiple quarterbacks, plus the offense took a big step backward from losing offensive line talent to the NFL. The junior was still phenomenal, however, totaling 48 receptions for 731 yards and 10 touchdowns over only seven games before ending his season early. In a normal season with just an average quarterback, Marshall could have produced a massive year because he dominated the SEC secondaries. I thought Marshall could be a potential first-rounder for a lot of the draft process, but most teams had him projected to Day 2. The 6-foot-4, 200-pounder ended up sliding to the back half of the second round.
Per team sources, Marshall was a consensus second-round pick around the league. While he has mismatch size and the deep speed to challenge defenses vertically, team sources said Marshall had build-up speed and lacked first-step explosiveness and quick twitch.
The Carolina Panthers ended Marshall’s fall in the second round, and they were a great landing spot for him. Marshall will be reunited with Panthers offensive coordinator Joe Brady, who was the guiding coach behind the LSU 2019 offense. Brady knows Marshall well and his fit in the offense, so this was a perfect team for Marshall in the long term.
As a rookie, Marshall is relegated to being the third receiver since D.J. Moore and Robby Anderson are coming back to Carolina. But Brady has the Panthers in predominantly three-wide receiver sets, so Marshall should be an instant starter to replace Curtis Samuel. Additionally, both Moore and Anderson are nearing the end of their contracts, so in a year, Marshall could replace whichever one of them is not signed to an extension, most likely Anderson. With Marshall’s size, speed and upside, he could emerge as a solid starter by the end of his rookie contract and turn into a solid pro for Carolina.
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