Ja’Marr Chase Scouting Report

Ja’Marr Anthony Chase is the best wide receiver in the 2021 NFL draft and the fact that it is a debate is disrespectful to him. He is the best receiver prospect since A. J. Green coming out of Georgia in the 2011 NFL draft. Chase can play in the slot, he can play out wide, he makes plays at every level of the field, and will catch every single ball thrown in his radius. He is more NFL-ready than DeVonta Smith, especially after opting out to polish his craft in 2020, and he can create the same explosive plays as Jaylen Waddle. He is a day one WR1 and it won’t be long before he is mentioned in the same group as DeAndre Hopkins, Michael Thomas, Julio Jones, and Davante Adams.

College: Louisiana State University

Position: Wide Receiver

Number: #1

Height: 6’0″

Weight: 208 lbs

2019 Stats: 14 games played/84 receptions/1,780 receiving yards/20 receiving touchdowns/21.2 yards per catch

STRENGTHS

1. Ja’Marr Chase is a true route technician and can execute each route on the tree. He knows how to manipulate defenders at the top of his routes and makes cuts with a certain polish that most receivers in the NFL don’t have. Ja’Marr Chase is so intentional in the way he plays and his deceptive footwork belongs in a museum, it’s just a work of art. Best route runner in the class and deserves much more recognition in that regard.

2. It has been a very long time since there has been a receiver this good at high pointing the football. He may only be six feet tall but he gets up and plucks the ball out of the air like he is 10 inches taller. Doesn’t matter who the defender is, he will jump over them and grab the ball. He may have had Joe Burrow as his quarterback last season but there were plenty of instances where Ja’Marr Chase made Joe look great because he just adjusted to every single under-thrown ball that came to him. Some of the catches he made are unbelievable and should warrant even more of a shock because of his six-foot size.

3. Run after catch is a big selling point for Chase. He is a very deliberate ball carrier and has exceptional vision for a wide receiver. Ja’Marr Chase is a bit of a unicorn in the sense that he always seems to know where defenders are at all times. He will turn and dodge a hit without even looking after the catch and will leave you asking “how did he do that?” He’s a really slippery player and will maximize yards gained on every single reception.

WEAKNESS

1. The only viable complaint is that he had one great year in college. He played two years in college and his first was in a limited rotational role. Ja’Marr Chase leaves absolutely nothing to be desired on all fourteen of his game tapes besides the fact that it will leave you wanting more. Small sample size shouldn’t really be a concern because he was a dominant force for all fourteen games of the 2020 season and belittled every corner in the SEC’s draft stock.

CONCLUSION

Ja’Marr Chase is going to be a star in the NFL. He is about as much of a sure thing as Trevor Lawrence and somehow we are still comparing him to DeVonta Smith and Jaylen Waddle. Smith and Waddle are both going to be studs, but Ja’Marr Chase has the potential to have a bronze bust in Canton, Ohio one day. No one is more complete than him, he is arguably the best receiver prospect since Megatron and is being overanalyzed in this draft process. Don’t overthink it, people, Ja’Marr Chase is the best wide receiver prospect we have seen in a very long time.

Round Projection: Top 10

Pro Comparison: DeAndre Hopkins