Green Bay Packers 2021 NFL Draft Prospects to Know: WR Terrace Marshall

Not drafting a receiver in 2020 like everyone expected the Green Bay Packers to do certainly didn’t hamper their offensive production. Green Bay had the top scoring offense in football last season and ranked first by DVOA as well.

However, this year you can bet on the Packers taking a wide receiver and perhaps even two of them. Of course, adding another weapon to an already potent offense is always a plus, but with no receivers under contract after this season at the moment, it’s also time to restock that shelf.

And if the Green Bay Packers do decide to address this need early on, one possible option is Terrace Marshall from LSU.

Marshall has three years of experience, with the bulk of his targets coming over the last two. In 2019, he was third fiddle in the dynamic LSU offense behind Justin Jefferson and Ja’Marr Chase but still had 67 targets. Marshall would catch 68.7 percent of those passes at 14.6 yards per catch and with 13 touchdowns—not bad at all considering the other receivers on that National Championship team.

In 2020, with Jefferson in the NFL and Chase opting out, Marshall assumed a bigger role and did so as the team’s primary slot receiver. After taking 65 percent of his snaps in 2019 on the boundary, Marshall lined up in the slot this past year 82 percent of the time. And the results were once again impressive.

Marshall finished the 2020 season with 67 targets but did so this time in only seven games while totaling 731 yards at 15.2 yards per catch and averaging over 100 yards per game with 10 total touchdowns.

Over his career, Marshall was effective in all parts of the field, and we know that ability to line up both out wide and in the slot is a plus in Matt LaFleur’s offense.

However, Kyle Crabbs of The Draft Network does note in his pre-draft report that two areas where Marshall can improve are in his ability as a blocker, which is something LaFleur emphasizes, as well as dropped passes which were more prevalent in 2020. PFF ($$) credited him with seven drops after having only two the year before.

With that said, Crabbs would also go on to say:

"“…but there isn’t much in the way of notable concerns as he enters the next level.”"

Athletically speaking, Marshall is what the Green Bay Packers desire, posting a Relative Athletic Score at his Pro-Day of 9.94 out of 10 and standing 6’2” while weighing 205 pounds–meeting their thresholds in all three areas.

For more on Marshall’s game, here is what else Crabbs had to say in his report:

"“Marshall is a versatile receiver that has proven himself both from the slot and out wide while attacking all levels of the field with consistency. He offers terrific size, physicality, hands, ball skills, run after catch ability, route-running skills, and overall technical-refinement.““…Marshall has the potential to become a productive piece of an NFL offense that can produce in a variety of ways.”"

Both PFF and The Draft Network have similar ratings on Marshall as both sites think very highly of him in what is another deep receiver class. PFF has the LSU product as their sixth-best receiver and 28th rated prospect, while The Draft Network has him as WR5 and the 25th player on their board.

If the Green Bay Packers want to land Marshall, it’s likely going to have to be at pick 29—or maybe in Round 2 if they decided to trade back. Maybe.

The Mock Draft Database has a second-round projection on Marshall although nearly one-third of the recorded mock drafts have him going in Round 1, with the consensus pick being Marshall going to Baltimore at 27th overall—but as I always say, do with that info what you will.

Marshall really does fit the wide receiver mold that the Green Bay Packers typically covet, and if they plan to go against the grain by selecting a receiver early on, then Marshall is a prime candidate.