With the Vikings season having wrapped up yesterday, we are officially into the meat of draft season. While we will be talking a lot moving forward about the direction of the team and how they will approach the offseason and roster construction, throughout the process I will be dropping numerous scouting reports and big boards. The first few editions of these will be on players that have already opted out, as all of their film is currently available to me.

My scale for each position is based on a 100 point scale with point values broken down with more points going towards categories I believe are more valuable for the position. Regardless of position, each point total breaks down the same on my scale.

Ja’Marr Chase

Height: 6’1″

Weight: 200 lbs

Strengths: Chase is at his best with contested catches. He does a good job of plucking the ball out of midair. Plays much bigger than his 6’1″ frame and is great at controlling his body while finding the ball in the air. Chase boxes out like an NBA power forward Able to track the ball and catch it at his highest point. Can fight through a physical defender with ease to get the football. Does a great job keeping releases varied keeping corners guessing. Footwork on his releases translates in his ability to juke out defenders in the open field. Sinks hips well at the top of his routes allowing him to create separation at the vertical stem. Shows some explosion out of breaks at times. Uses body well to block out defenders. Doesn’t have elite speed or athleticism but uses route running to break away from defenders. Makes catches look easy in the open field opening him up for yards after the catch. Excellent vision in the open field. Able to process defenders and stay patient. Very physical runner who can run through arm tackles with ease. Does a good job breaking in and out of routes.

Weaknesses: Does have a tendency to body catch which has led to some drops but that is fixable. Would like to see more explosiveness. Route tree was very limited at LSU but the ability to expand it is there. Would like to see him become more varied at the top of his routes, as he’s shown the ability to use head and shoulder fakes but it isn’t consistent. Top-end speed isn’t there but he makes up for it in the open field with his vision.

Comp: Adam Thielen

Ja’Marr Chase is a high floor/low ceiling player who will excel in jump ball situations. His limitations as a natural athlete will prevent him from becoming an elite receiver at the next level, but his ability to create separation with his limited route tree does give me hope that it can expand as his route tree does. All in all, Chase is a really good player that can contribute early in the right offense.