2021 NFL Draft: Deshaun Watson on the move in latest NFL mock draft
player. Ja'Marr Chase. 7. 50. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. Wide Receiver. LSU
If he was draft-eligible a season ago, Ja’Marr Chase would have been receiving all the hype that DeVonta Smith is getting this season. With Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase put up unbelievable numbers as a sophomore and still is a top 10 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.
Chase brings a little bit of everything to the table as a wide receiver. He isn’t super big, but he is well-built at 6-foot and over 200 lbs. He has displayed impressive speed and great jumping ability when high pointing the ball.
Chase excels at all three levels of the defense and when lining up anywhere on the offensive side of the ball. Whether in the slot or split out wide to the right or the left, Chase can take a screen to the house, come open over the middle of the field or take the top off of any defense.
As a route runner, Chase is about as good as they get. Get has great footwork and sells fake with his whole body to leave defenders looking silly. As a deep threat, Chase has good speed and is great at tracking the ball and high pointing the ball at the catch point.
Also, Chase has very impressive hands and is effective as a runner after the catch. Really, Chase can do it all and if it wasn’t for Smith’s incredible season he would likely be the number one receiver off the board in nearly any draft.
The Detroit Lions have struggled to provide Matthew Stafford with some really viable targets since the early retirement of Calvin Johnson. Kenny Golladay has shown a lot of promise in his young career, but he missed nearly all of last season due to injury.
With veteran Marvin Jones Jr. set to become a free agent, new GM Brad Holmes and new head coach Dan Campbell need to surround Stafford with some reliable playmakers if they want to turn things around. Chase is the perfect pair for Golladay and tight end T.J. Hockenson to do just that.
Whether it is Stafford or another quarterback under center for the Detroit Lions in the coming years, any quarterback would love to have a player like Ja’Marr Chase to throw to. Although seven overall still may seem a little high for a wide receiver, Chase could prove to be one of the most impactful players in the 2021 NFL Draft.