2021 NFL Mock Draft: Bears trade into top 10, Washington Football Team goes offense
Wide Receiver. Detroit Lions. Ja'Marr Chase. 7. player. 50.
The Lions are another team that has a need at the receiver spot. Their top three starters from last season — Kenny Golladay, Marvin Jones, and Danny Amendola — are all no longer with the team. Breshad Perriman, Tyrell Williams, and Kalif Raymond were brought in to help replace them, but none of those players are true No. 1 receiver options.
The Lions, at this point in the draft, have their choice of the top three receivers. You could really make a case for any of them, especially considering that the Lions appear to be after speed at the receiver spot.
Waddle and Smith are faster than Chase, but Chase has the best size of the group. He’s also still just 21 years old, so he has a bit more upside left than the other two. As a result, he’ll get the nod here as the pick.
Chase sat out the 2020 season amid the COVID pandemic but on LSU’s College Football Playoff-winning team, he was a force to be reckoned with. Chase racked up 84 catches for 1,780 yards and a whopping 20 TDs catching passes from Joe Burrow and showed off great next-level speed and an ability to make difficult catches with his soft hands and was able to make adjustments in the air.
Jared Goff has always had great receivers at his disposal during his career, and he’ll certainly need them this time around as well. Chase would be a nice No. 1 target for Goff to connect with. Either of the other receivers could be selected here, but for now, Chase should be favored.