The Jacksonville Jaguars are going to draft Trevor Lawrence with the first-overall pick. That much is written in stone – everyone knows it’s going to happen, it’s just a matter of time. What we don’t know, however, is what’s going to happen with the rest of the draft. Getting a franchise quarterback is great, but the Jaguars need to provide Lawrence with the necessary tools to succeed. Using their other first-round pick, the Jacksonville Jaguars should think about investing in a receiver like LSU’s Terrace Marshall Jr.
Why the Jacksonville Jaguars Should Draft Terrace Marshall Jr.
Any team that finishes the season with a 1-15 record is more than one player away from competing for a Super Bowl, even if that player is the best quarterback prospect in recent memory. The Jaguars need help at just about every level of the roster, so it’s going to be in their best interest to take the best player available. That player will likely be Marshall, both from a talent and positional value standpoint.
The Jacksonville Jaguars have a solid starter in DJ Chark and an interesting yet unproven second-year receiver in Laviska Shenault. These guys are both fine players, but they’re not superstars. Marshall has a chance to be a superstar, and he’s exactly the type of player this offense is missing. After a strong 2019, Marshall proved that he has what it takes to thrive as the top option in an elite passing attack.
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With Justin Jefferson, Ja’Marr Chase, and Joe Burrow gone, Marshall put together the best season of his young career. Seeing the field for 422 snaps, the receiver ended the year with 48 receptions for 731 yards and 10 touchdowns. He thrived out of the slot, although film from earlier seasons proves that he also has the ability to win on the outside.
At 6’-2” and 200 pounds, Marshall has the ideal size for the position yet also possesses the speed to easily blow right past defenders. He can move all around the formation and catches anything thrown within his zip code. He’s an athletic marvel and could easily give Trevor Lawrence one of the better receiving trios in the league.
Possible Issues
Terrace Marshall Jr. is one of the better prospects in the class, but there is a reason he’s not going at the top of the first. The biggest red flag with Marshall is the sample size. After serving as LSU’s third option in 2019, Marshall finally had the chance to be the featured guy in 2020. He was certainly up for the task, but it only happened for seven games. Weird things happen in small samples, and there is a chance that this was nothing more than a fluke.
Getting beyond that, there really isn’t much to dislike about Marshall. Depending on how you look at it, the rest of his flaws could actually be strengths. The LSU product is a little raw, and could certainly use some time to sharpen his routes. The silver lining is that this is a fixable trait, and if he’s this good with subpar route running, then the sky is the limit for how good he could be in a year or two.
The Jaguars need to upgrade their offensive line, but adding Marshall shouldn’t prevent them from doing so. This is a good draft for offensive linemen, and the Jaguars should still be able to grab someone like North Dakota State’s Dillon Radunz at the beginning of the second. Grabbing Lawrence, Marshall, and the best offensive lineman left with their first three picks would be the ideal way for Jacksonville to start their latest rebuild.
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