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Philadelphia Eagles: Ja’Marr Chase or DeVonta Smith, who’s better?

By David Esser

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - JANUARY 13: Ja'Marr Chase #1 of the LSU Tigers reacts after a catch against the Clemson Tigers in the College Football Playoff National Championship game at Mercedes Benz Superdome on January 13, 2020 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - JANUARY 13: Ja'Marr Chase #1 of the LSU Tigers reacts after a catch against the Clemson Tigers in the College Football Playoff National Championship game at Mercedes Benz Superdome on January 13, 2020 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images) /
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Philadelphia Eagles Ja'Marr Chase
Aug 17, 2020; Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States; LSU Tigers wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase (7) catches the football during practice at Football Operations Center. Mandatory Credit: LSU Athletics/Pool Photo via USA TODAY Network /

Ja’Marr Chase, LSU

When it comes to Chase, there’s simply a ton to like about him.

He’s big, he’s fast, he’s strong, he’s a great route runner, he’s fantastic at the catch point, he’s a good run-blocker, and he’s still somehow just 20 years old(!). In terms of what modern day front offices prioritize in their “WR1s”, Chase ticks off every single box.

Like mentioned previously, Chase really took the collegiate scene by storm during his sophomore season. He broke the SEC’s single-season receiving record for both yards and TDs (at the time), and was LSU’s main playmaker alongside Burrow as they cruised to a National Championship.

It’s tough to really give Chase a “player comp”, because he looks like a specimen that’s simply one in a million. There’s been plenty of elite WR prospects to come out of the talent-rich SEC, but very rarely do we see someone produce the numbers that Chase did at such a young age. If the former LSU product were to be drafted in the first round this spring, he wouldn’t even be 27 years old by the time his rookie contract expired.

The only potential cons worth mentioning with Chase is the fact that a) he was playing in a Joe Brady led system in 2019, and b) he opted out of the 2020 season due to COVID-19 related concerns.

Playing under Joe Brady’s guidance is to no fault of Chase’s (and there’s an argument to be made that Chase being coached by Brady for a year is a good thing), but Brady has quickly developed a reputation for heightening WR production (above what they’d normally produce).

Opting out of the 2020 season was a completely reasonable thing for Chase to do, but it gives scouts a limited amount of film to assess. All they really have to work off of is his absurd, record-breaking 2019 season.

Even with those very minor “cons” taken into account, the general consensus around the league is that Chase is a bonafide superstar in the making. If it wasn’t for DeVonta Smith’s Heisman winning  season in 2020, Chase would be everyone’s clear cut WR1.

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