Height: 6’0
Weight: 208
Number: #1 in 2019, #7 in 2020
No matter who you’re a fan of, there was no team more fun to watch in college football than the LSU Tigers in 2019. In a star-studded offense that saw Joe Burrow, Justin Jefferson, and Clyde Edwards-Helaire all become first-round picks, LSU still has their best receiver for the 2020 season, the Biletnikoff Award winner Ja’Marr Chase. No matter where you play if you have 1,780 receiving yards and 20 touchdowns there will be buzz surrounding your name, but by accomplishing that in the SEC, Chase has some considering him a possible top 5 pick in the 2021 NFL draft. In order to see if the hype matched up with his play, I dove into his film to evaluate the star LSU receiver.
Background: Ja’Marr Chase was a four-star recruit and the fourth overall recruit in the state of Louisiana in the class of 2018. After posting 313 yards and 3 touchdowns as a freshman in 2018, Chase exploded for 1,780 yards and 20 touchdowns in 2019, which are both SEC records. Chase received the Biletnikoff award as the top Wide Receiver in the country, and was a unanimous All-American, as well as named First-team All-SEC.
Pros: Chase gains a lot of separation with releases off the line of scrimmage, and is very good at maintaining his speed throughout breaks in his routes.
Here Chase’s explosiveness off of the line of scrimmage and the play design allows for huge amounts of separation and an easy touchdown. He accelerates and decelerates very quickly, and he’s good at positioning his body in ways that allow him to make plays on the ball, even if he’s surrounded by defenders.
Here on a slant, Chase is able to position himself to make the touchdown catch even with the eventual 9th overall pick C.J. Henderson closing in on him. Chase has very strong hands and excels at coming down with the ball in contested catch situations. Chase is also a good route runner and can get a lot of separation from his explosive breaks. On deeper routes, Chase is very good at tracking the ball in the air and excels at going up in the air to make catches. He times his jumps perfectly and is able to maintain his balance upon landing.
Here Chase uses his ability to go up and get the ball to score a touchdown against eventual second-round draft pick, Trevon Diggs. Although Chase is six feet tall, this ability allows him to play like a considerably taller receiver. Chase also displays a lot of physicality and is tough to bring down once he has the ball in his hands.
Cons: Although Chase accelerates very quickly, he lacks high-end top speed, preventing him from always getting consistent separation against better corners.
Against Mississippi State and third-round pick Cam Dantzler, Ja’marr Chase was unable to separate for most of the game, leading to him having one of his least impactful games of the season. Chase also has some focus drops and does not always show great effort when run blocking.
Overview: Ja’marr Chase’s polished skill set could lead him to be a productive slot or X receiver in the NFL. His route running, releases off the line of scrimmage, and natural feel for the game should also make him an early producer during his rookie year. I believe his focus drops can be cleaned up in the NFL, but due to his lack of height and high-end speed, I have concerns about his ability to separate against top cornerbacks in the NFL. While Ja’marr Chase might lack the elite athleticism that would make him an extremely high-ceiling prospect, I have a hard time seeing him not being a good NFL receiver for many years to come.
