2021 NFL Draft: LSU WR Ja’Marr Chase is a top-five talent

Verdict

Chase is a phenomenally well-rounded receiver who will enter the league with a pro-ready skill set. Able to win at the beginning of the route against press coverage, at the catch point and after the catch, the 6ft and 208-pound Chase has everything he needs to become a top-tier boundary receiver at the next level.

He could serve to become more consistent as a blocker, but the weaknesses in Chase’s game at this point in his career are very minor.

A receiver with a high floor and a similarly high ceiling who can come in and be an immediate starter in the pros, Chase is a legitimate top-five talent who possesses the production and the tape to be selected that early in the 2021 draft.

Accepted draft convention says the top five is too early to select a wide receiver, with the recent example of Corey Davis in the 2017 draft a cautionary tale.

But Chase is polished enough and his upside is significant enough for teams in need of help at the position to put that to one side and consider making him a focal point of their offense.

Judging by what he has done to date at LSU, the franchise that decides to do that should be handsomely rewarded.