Marshall set to replace Manning in Carolina

By Connor Byrne  |   Sunday, May 14, 2006  |  Comments( 1 )

Carolina Panthers
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When the Carolina Panthers entered last month's NFL Draft, they found themselves in need of a solid nickel cornerback to replace departed free agent Ricky Manning, Jr. Not only did Carolina get the cornerback they sought, but they managed to nab one of the best in the draft. Somehow, he fell all the way to the second round, the 58th overall pick to be exact.

That man is Richard Marshall, the former Fresno State standout who was projected by many as a possible late first-rounder entering the draft. Yours truly had him going 23rd overall to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. I may have been dead wrong, but the Panthers were absolutely right in selecting the unheralded talent.

At 5'11" and 190 pounds, Marshall is a great fit to replace Manning because he brings better size and physicality to the table. Manning's only 5'8", so he tends to get beaten by even some of the most smallish receivers in the NFL. To go along with his above-average size, Marshall possesses very good speed, as he ran a 4.42 40-yard dash at February's scouting combine.

Also on Marshall's side is the fact that he played for Fresno State coach Pat Hill in college. Hill's among the most positively regarded coaches in college football because he's learned from so many great pro coaches and knows what it takes to prepare his best prospects for the highest level. Hill learned under the best coach in the game, Bill Belichick, for a number of years, so he obviously has the right pedigree. In fact, Hill was among the frontrunners to take the Oakland Raiders' vacant head coaching position a couple months ago, but he elected to stay at the NCAA level.

In Carolina, Marshall will have an excellent opportunity to learn behind arguably the best cornerback tandem in the league, Ken Lucas and Chris Gamble. The duo combined for a whopping 13 interceptions last season, which obviously demonstrates their astute ability to force key turnovers. As if that pair isn't enough to learn from, Marshall will have veteran safety Mike Minter to give him pointers, and he's been among the league's paramount safeties for years.

Now that Marshall is in the fold, the Carolina Panthers won't miss a beat in Manning's permanent absence. Actually, their cornerback trio may be better next season and in the future with a great talent of Marshall's caliber now in the fold. Carolina's NFC South competitors, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New Orleans Saints and Atlanta Falcons, had better maintain their running games because passing on the Panthers' secondary may be prove to be a dead end in 2006.

Get more Panthers insights at Realfootball365.com.

--Connor J. Byrne can be reached at cbyrne@realfootball365.com
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