LSU Football: Ja’Marr Chase probably won’t be the top WR selected in 2021 NFL Draft
By Zach Ragan
LSU football wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase should be a high selection in the 2021 NFL Draft.
I thought LSU football wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase would’ve been the top wide receiver selected in the 2020 NFL Draft had he been eligible.
Chase’s sophomore season in 2019 was simply beyond words.
The Louisiana native caught 84 passes for 1,780 yards and 20 touchdowns in 2019.
Ridiculous numbers for any wide receiver. Even more ridiculous for a sophomore.
Ja’Marr Chase likely no longer the top wide receiver selected in the 2021 NFL Draft
Chase announced in late August that he was opting out of the 2020 season.
CBS Sports reported that Chase’s decision to opt-out had nothing to do with COVID-19. Instead, they suggested that Chase was opting out so he could focus on his future NFL career.
That decision likely cost Chase some cash.
Chase’s spectacular 2019 season feels like a distant memory after everything that’s gone down over the last 12 months.
Combine the fact that Chase didn’t play in 2020 with Alabama wide receiver Devonta Smith’s insane season and you can start to see why Chase might slip in the 2021 NFL Draft a bit.
Smith’s 2020 season was more impressive than Chase’s 2019 season. Smith caught 117 passes for 1,856 yards and 23 touchdowns. And he did that in only 13 games (11 of those games were against SEC opponents, while the other two games were in the College Football Playoff).
At this point, I don’t see how anyone — even LSU fans — can make an argument for Chase to go above Smith in the draft.
It’s unfortunate because I still think Chase is the most talented wide receiver in the 2021 NFL Draft.
DC option for LSU from the NFL. dark. Next
But that’s what happens when you gamble. Chase made a bet that not playing in 2020 would be more profitable for him than playing.
He turned out to be wrong.