Former Herd OC believes QB Chase Litton would be good pick for Patriots

Bill Legg wants you to know Chase Litton is still a work in progress.

Legg, who served as Litton’s offensive coordinator the last three years at Marshall, knows Litton needs more time before he’s NFL ready. But it’s clear he’s capable — the 22-year-old showed the same capacity for growth as a collegian, going from 195 pounds to 230 pounds while leading The Herd offense while growing into his role as a quarterback and a leader. Legg believes Litton has the capacity to make the same transition when he reaches the NFL level.


Considered a mid-round prospect at this point on the calendar, Litton is a 6-foot-5, 233-pounder who played in 34 games in three seasons with Marshall, including 11 as a freshman in 2015. Overall, he completed 61 percent (728-for-1198) of his passes for 8,335 yards, 72 touchdowns and 31 interceptions. Asked for a breakdown of Litton’s greatest strengths and weaknesses, Legg doesn’t hesitate:

“There’s not a throw on the field he can’t make,” Legg said of the Tampa native, who passed for over 300 yards three times last year. “He’s 6-foot-5 and can see over the line. He has a good pocket presence and can make every throw you need him to. He’s always learning. Always. I know because I get texts from him all the time: ‘Coach, what do you think we should have run here? What are your ideas on this? I’m working on something — any advice?’ That sort of thing.

“The negatives? He’s still a young guy. In another era, he might have been better served coming back for one more year. He’s three years out of high school. I know he’s worked hard at his leadership skills, and it’s an area he’ll understand more and more as he moves forward and understands the guys he’s playing with — some guys you can chew their ear off and some guys you need to put your arm around them. But that sort of thing comes with age and experience.”



One area where Litton has improved is leadership, something he worked on last year in a stint at the Manning Passing Academy. Those around the team say the tutorial paid off in multiple ways, but most notably in wins and losses: Marshall went from 3-9 in 2016 to a 6-1 start and 8-5 finish in 2017 that included four late losses by a combined 18 points. Litton also evolved as a quarterback, going from a straight thrower to someone who really expanded his knowledge of the game.

“He’s worked really hard on his fundamentals, but he’s also worked hard on the other stuff as well,” Legg said of Litton. “He really opened his eyes — knowing the quarterback position isn’t just about his own fundamentals but about the coverages and working with your line and reading defenses and knowing what to do when the game speeds up. He knows the big picture much better than he did a year or so ago.

“He did a tremendous job studying the offensive line plan and blocking assignments and maybe stuff that other quarterbacks don’t really focus on, and it really paid off,” Legg added of Litton. “The pressure on him went down, and whole part of that was the offensive line, part of it was him understanding defenses better than he did in the past. ‘How can I help out my line? How can we work together to pick up blitzes?’ That really helped him, and he became more of a complete quarterback.

“He wasn’t just a guy who could throw. Now, he could read safeties, and show a greater recognition of man vs. zones and what routes fit against certain coverages. The best places to run the ball. How we can pick that blitz up. That sort of thing. He did a really nice job learning that, and it really helped him as a player.”

For a young quarterback who is still coming into his game — and would likely be asked to sit for a stretch behind Tom Brady — Legg believes New England would be a perfect landing spot for Litton.

“Everybody is different. Every team is different. Every situation is different. But knowing what I know about Chase, that could be a great fit,” Legg said about the possibility of the Patriots’ selecting Litton in the draft. “His playing ability, his ability to get the ball out fast, fit the ball into a tight window, and work as an accurate thrower, along with that arm strength, that would work in New England. The idea of studying with a guy like Brady — not just any veteran, but the best guy to ever play the position, that can only be a huge asset. That can help him take his game to the next level and allow him to have success in the NFL.

“Being around a guy like Brady, I mean, if you ever have the opportunity to be with someone like that and study from him firsthand, that would be phenomenal. That would obviously be one area where he would gain preparation and leadership skills. Chase, having the chance to be around a pro like Tom, someone who knows how to prepare and how to lead, that would be invaluable for someone like him.”