LSU draft hopeful Terrace Marshall Jr.’s special tie to former Chiefs star Joe Delaney
At least one mock draft predicts the Chiefs will take LSU wide receiver Terrace Marshall Jr. in the second round of the NFL Draft.
If that proves true, Marshall would follow in the footsteps of his great uncle, Joe Delaney, who died in 1983 while trying to save children from drowning in a lake. Delaney had made the Pro Bowl and rushed for more than 1,000 yards in his rookie season with the Chiefs when he passed away at the age of 24.
“I never saw him in person but I’ve seen videos of him, and he played in the NFL,” Marshall told the Shreveport Times in 2017. “People say I’m a lot like him, so I’d like to meet him.”
Despite playing in just seven games this past season, Marshall still led the Tigers with 10 touchdown receptions and he averaged 104.4 receiving yards per game.
Early mock drafts had Marshall being picked in the first round. But Daniel Jeremiah of the NFL Network said injury concerns could cause Marshall’s draft stock to slip.
The Chiefs have a pair of second-round picks in this year’s draft.
No matter where he is selected, Marshall knows it will be “Meant To Be.” That’s become his life motto after he learned about his great uncle’s sacrifice.
This is an excerpt from a story by Brooks Kubena of The Advocate.
“Marshall’s father knew his son needed a sturdy base, a model to live by,” Kubena wrote. “He sat his son down as a kid and told him the story of Delaney’s life, how he sacrificed his life to give three young boys a chance to live. Marshall Sr. tied it together by creating a family motto: ‘M2B.’
“Meant To Be.”
“Marshall still wears the acronym on a chain necklace.”
In an interview with TigerRag.com, Marshall said he also wore No. 37 in youth football in honor of Delaney.
Marshall said nearly every day he thinks of Delaney, but not in the football sense.
“I was told he was a good person and that’s what I am,” Marshall told TigerRag.com. “I try to be a good person every day. I work hard. I just want to keep his legacy and build mine at the same time.”
This story was originally published April 29, 2021 at 12:42 PM.
