NFL mock draft 2021: Four quarterbacks in the top five, Watson stays put
Ja'Marr Chase. 6. 54. Pick Analysis. Wide Receiver. LSU. player. Scouting Report
Last year in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft, Howie Roseman and the Philadelphia Eagles opted for a wide receiver. But instead of going with LSU’s Justin Jefferson, who most regarded as the clear best option available, they went with TCU’s Jalen Reagor.
While it’s tough to evaluate Reagor’s rookie season that was limited due to injury, Jefferson became an Offensive Rookie of the Year finalist in Minnesota, racking up 1,400 receiving yards and seven touchdowns in his first NFL season.
In this 2021 NFL mock draft, Philadelphia does not make the same mistake and select the LSU Tiger, Ja’Marr Chase. As impressive as Jefferson was for LSU in 2019, people may forget that Chase was even better, winning the Biletnikoff Award as the nation’s best wide receiver.
With Joe Burrow at the helm, Chase accumulated a ridiculous 1,785 receiving yards and 20 touchdown receptions in 2019. Chase opted out of the 2020 season, so people may not remember just how dominant Chase is.
Chase is one of the most well-rounded wide receiver prospects that I have seen. There isn’t any one thing that he does head and shoulders better than other top receivers, but he does just about everything that you look for very well.
Despite being just 6-foot-1 and 208 lbs, Chase is a very physical player. Whether it is against press coverage at the line of scrimmage, at the top of a route to create separation or at the catch point, Chase is as aggressive and physical as they come. He is also a tough runner with the ball in his hands, always fighting for extra yards.
Chase is a solid and smooth route runner with great hands to make contested catches. He has the speed to beat corners deep, the intelligence to recognize how to beat his opponent and find space and the ball tracking and catching ability to go up and make a big play.
With Carson Wentz heading to Indianapolis and a new offensive mind in Nick Sirianni coming in as the head coach, no one is quite sure what the Eagles offense will look like this season. But regardless of whether the quarterback is Jalen Hurts or someone else, any quarterback would absolutely love a target like Chase, who very well may be the best wide receiver in this 2021 NFL mock draft.