LSU Football: Ja’Marr Chase goes to Philadelphia Eagles in mock draft

Former LSU football wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase will be a top 10 selection in the 2021 NFL Draft according to the latest mock draft from ESPN’s Mel Kiper.

USA Today noted this week that Kiper has Chase being selected with the No. 6 overall pick by the Philadelphia Eagles.

Multiple mock drafts have the Eagles taking a quarterback with the No. 6 overall pick, so this is certainly a differing prediction from Kiper.

Kiper’s reasoning for the Eagles taking Chase is that Jalen Hurts is slated to be the starting quarterback in Philadelphia after the team traded Carson Wentz to the Indianapolis Colts.

Ja’Marr Chase makes plenty of sense for the Eagles

I’m sure there are plenty of folks wondering why the Eagles would select Chase in the first round after taking former TCU wide receiver Jalen Reagor with the No. 21 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.

The easy answer is that Chase is way better than Reagor.

Reagor played in 11 games last season, catching 31 passes for 396 yards and one touchdown.

That’s not the type of production you expect from a first-round pick.

Chase, on the other hand, has the potential to be a perennial Pro-Bowler. He was widely regarded as the best wide receiver in the nation in 2019 (Chase opted out of the 2020 season). And he played alongside Justin Jefferson, who just had one of the greatest seasons ever by a rookie wide receiver (88 receptions for 1,400 yards and seven touchdowns).

If the Eagles can get similar production from Chase, then he would be an absolute steal as the No. 6 overall pick.

There’s still over a month until the 2021 NFL Draft, so I’m sure a lot will change, but I wouldn’t be shocked if the Eagles pull the trigger on Chase.