Another day of the 2021 NFL draft and another 2019 LSU national championship reunion.
In Thursday’s first round, it was Tigers’ wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase getting together with Cincinnati quarterback Joe Burrow when Chase was taken by the Bengals as the No. 5 overall pick.
And in Friday’s second round, LSU wide receiver Terrace Marshall Jr. re-joined former Tigers’ passing game coordinator now Carolina Panthers’ offensive coordinator Joe Brady as the Panthers took Marshall as the 59th overall pick.
“Our relationship played a part in it (being drafted by the Panthers),” Marshall said in a Zoom media teleconference. “It’s amazing playing for him (Brady). I thought the Panthers might be one of the teams that would pick me.”
Brady knew the Panthers were drafting a proven commodity who’s already perfect for familiarity with his schemes.
“We have a great vision for him as a Carolina Panther,” Brady said. “His skillset is going to be a great asset to our offense. Not too many people are 6-2, 200-plus and run a 4.3 and are able to make plays on the ball like Terrace does.
“When the ball’s in the air, Terrace always finds a way to come down with it. He showcased that every time he was on the football field. Not a lot of games but a lot of production.
“There’s not a player that works harder and is more dedicated to his craft than Terrace.”
Marshall finished his LSU career with 106 receptions for 1,596 yards and 23 TDs. One of Marshall’s most telling stats of dependability is he never dropped a red zone pass in the 25 times he was targeted in his career.
Last season, he caught 48 passes for 731 yards (15.2 per) with 10 touchdowns in seven games before opting out the rest of the season partially because of injuries.
He told the media Friday he underwent arthroscopic surgery in January for torn cartilage but is now completely healthy.
“I just keep grinding,” Marshall said. “At the end of the day, the cream will always rise to the top. I’m going to do what I do, and God will take care of the rest. I go out there, do my thing and let the results speak for themselves.”
When Brady called a portion of the plays two seasons ago for the 15-0 Tigers, Marshall caught 46 passes for 671 yards (14.6 per catch) and 13 touchdowns.
“He never sat there questioning things or complaining,” Brady said of Marshall. “He just went to work, knew his time was going to come and he was going to play his game. When his opportunities came to be the guy, he made the most of it.
“It speaks volumes to the type of kid and person he is, an extremely faith-based man. He never gets too high or too low. The more you’re around him, the more you love his demeanor and everything about him.”
Carolina head coach Matt Rhule said Marshall was evaluated as being near the top of their draft board.
“To me, he’s a big outside guy,” Rhule said of Marshall. “Joe said he can play inside or outside, which is really paramount in the things we try to do.”
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