HEIGHT: 6-0 / WEIGHT: 208 / COLLEGE: LSU / CLASS: Junior
2019 STATS (14 GAMES): 84 rec, 1,780 yards, 21.2 YPC, 20 touchdowns
CAREER STATS (24 GAMES): 107 rec, 2,093 yards, 19.6 YPC, 23 touchdowns
GAMES WATCHED (8): Alabama, Texas, Texas A&M, Vanderbilt, Auburn, Florida, Mississippi State, Ole Miss (2019)
40 | BENCH | VERT | BROAD | 3 CONE | 20S | 60S |
SIZE/PHYSICAL TRAITS (4.5/5)
- Average height
- Well-developed frame
- Excellent leaping ability
- Excellent play strength
SPEED/BURST (8.5/10)
- Fairly good acceleration and top-end speed (est. 4.50 40 time)
- Capable deep threat
AGILITY (8/10)
- Smooth change-of-direction movement
- Makes fairly sharp cuts in and out of breaks when he drops his hips
ROUTE RUNNING/SEPARATION (17/20)
- Shows flashes of technical prowess in all facets of route running
- Efficient working back to the ball on stop routes
- Occasionally incorporates hesitation moves in route stems to keep cornerbacks guessing
- Will work to a cornerback’s blind spot against bail technique
- Excellent hand-fighting skill allows him to consistently separate at the top of routes
- Three-level receiving threat
- Has experience at and the physical capability to play any of the three wide receiver positions
- Separates from man coverage well enough, but not at an elite level currently
- Gets upright into breaks at times at the expense of quickness
- Can become a more deceptive route runner by consistently incorporating subtleties with body language (selling route fakes with eyes, shoulders, etc.)
- Could show a little more urgency in getting off the line of scrimmage at times
RUN AFTER CATCH (9/10)
- Absolute load to bring down after the catch
- Good contact balance and tackle-breaking strength
- Has some elusiveness in the open field
- Good vision and ability to set up blockers
HANDS/BALL SKILLS (19/20)
- Consistent hands catcher (5.7% career drop rate)
- Tremendous high-point ability
- Shows good toughness and concentration to secure catches in traffic/hold on after taking a hit
- Wins 50/50 balls at a high rate
BODY CONTROL (9/10)
- Adjusts well to back-shoulder and off-target throws
- Makes some tough catches away from his frame
- Gears down quickly for routes that work back towards the ball
PRESS RELEASES (8/10)
- Super physical at the line of scrimmage
- Mixes up an assortment of jabs, swipes and hesitation moves to defeat press coverage
- Could expand release package to keep cornerbacks guessing a little more
- Exposes chest at times, allowing cornerbacks to get their hands on quickly — could use more consistent hip sink in releases vs. press
TRACK/ADJUST (5/5)
- Excellent deep-ball tracker
- Finds soft spots in zone coverage consistently
- Works back to the quarterback on broken plays
- Shows great awareness when working near the sideline
OVERALL GRADE: 88.00/100.00 — EARLY 1ST ROUND — Instant starter; good player with Pro Bowl potential
NFL COMPARISON: A.J. Brown
SCHEME FIT: X receiver with the versatility to play Y and Z
DRAFT PROJECTION: Top-12 pick
Ja’Marr Chase has all of the tools needed to develop into a dominant NFL receiver. He’s a good athlete, route runner and playmaker after the catch with strong hands, positional versatility and an ability to defeat press coverage. Chase may not be an elite separator from Year 1 and he may not have elite size or top-end speed, but he doesn’t necessarily need those things to become a top-tier player at his position. There’s room to improve as a route runner and run blocker, but the former LSU standout is a ready-made product for the NFL with an All-Pro ceiling.