Draft Analysis: Ja’Marr Chase

February 4, 2021 /
  • Height: 6’0″
  • Weight: 208lbs
  • College: LSU
  • Tape Watched: Auburn 2019, Alabama 2019, Texas 2019, Vanderbilt 2019, Texas A&M
  • NFL Comparison: Upside: Reggie Wayne
    Baseline: Roddy White

Pros

  • YAC
    It is hard choosing between standout abilities and traits for receivers with the pedigree of Ja’marr Chase, so I listed my favorite first. Chase makes things happen after the catch as much as he does at the catch-point. He is extremely strong and stout for his 6’0″ 200lb frame. He can run past defenders, or carry them ten yards downfield.
  • Route Running
    Thanks to the offensive boost that Joe Brady injected into the 2019 LSU offense, Ja’marr Chase ran a true NFL route tree. He ran vertical routes more effectively than square cut routes, but was effective nonetheless. His release is inconsistent, but Chase is so deceptive and smooth in his routes he easily makes up for lost time and space.
  • Hands
    Chase has excellent ball skills and catches everything thrown his way. He rarely allows the ball into his body and secures the ball well. He had some concentration drops looking to pick up more yards after the catch but nothing of real concern. He can help his career a lot by tracking back to the ball in short-space-contested situations. Defenders seemed to get hands in the way more than fans would like to see on throws between the sticks.
  • High Point Ability
    Pound for pound he might be the best high point receiver in the class. Chase steals 50/50 balls out of defenders hands and excels at boxing them out. He not only protects underthrown deep balls, he turns them into huge plays with his ability to go up and get the ball.

Cons

  • Release
    The biggest area that Chase could improve, upon the 2019 version of himself, is his release and early route stems. Similar to Terrace Marshall, Chase has a bad tendency to lock into defenders through vertical stems. Additionally, Chase occasionally seems like he fails to have a pre-snap plan to attack the defender, instead, creating as he goes, and as a result finds himself wasting valuable time to create separation.
Can anyone explain why LSU receivers ride defenders like this past 5 yards? Further, how is this never called for OPI?
  • Separation
    At times there are separation questions on deep routes. Overall, it is seemingly a non-issue with Chase’s high point and contested catch abilities. But the question remains if he can effectively get to the top of his route stems and consistently stack defenders at the next level, as to not have to rely solely on his other skills. Without a combine it will be interesting to see if Chase runs a 40 yard dash at his pro day.

Overview

Ja’marr Chase is an absolute beast in terms of strength and physical prowess. He is one of the most polished receivers in this draft class and should have no problem sliding into a starting lineup year one. He can dominate with strength, deceptiveness, and has enough game speed to score in space. With the year off, Chase could potentially benefit from working on his release to diversify his approach and tools in which he attacks corners off the line. He may have shed some time off an eventual 40 yard dash as well. Either way, expect Chase to be gone inside the top 15 picks in the 2021 NFL Draft.