Ed Orgeron Gives Thoughts on Ja'Marr Chase, 2021 LSU Football NFL Draft Class
One of the questions surrounding the 2021 NFL Draft is with such top heavy talent at the receiver position, which wideout will be first off the board in next month's draft. The three common answers are Alabama's Devonta Smith and Jaylen Waddle as well as LSU's Ja'Marr Chase.
Many draft analysts are split on which one of Smith or Chase should go first, with nationally recognized talent evaluators like Daniel Jeremiah listing Chase as his No. 2 overall prospect in the 2021 class. NFL Network recently sat down with LSU coach Ed Orgeron to talk about Chase and a couple of other familiar faces hoping to hear their names called on April 29.
"Three great players that obviously played in the SEC West and all of them had success," Orgeron said of the receiver discussion. "Ja'Marr is really tough to cover one on one, has one of the best releases I've ever seen, catches everything in sight, is a hard worker and a very competitive young man. I think he's gonna have a lot of success in the NFL."
Of course, the purple and gold could see as many as two receivers go in the first round of the draft as Terrace Marshall has also been mocked to late first round teams like Green Bay by some pundits. Orgeron got to see up close how Marshall adapted without Chase or Justin Jefferson in the lineup and was impressed with how well he performed as the team's No. 1 receiver.
Through five games, Marshall appeared to be on pace to shatter the LSU record books, hauling in 48 receptions for 731 yards and 10 touchdowns as a junior. Marshall, like Jefferson, did much of his damage in the slot, which is a vital part of any team having a successful offense.
"Those guys were both equally talented, great young men and obviously different receivers," Orgeron said. "Terrace played more in the slot, a big receiver that can beat the nickel one on one, excellent hands. He has tremendous character. The nickel position is so important because in our league, the slot guy is a very dangerous football player and that's what a lot of our players play at is in the slot."
Speaking of that nickel spot, it's quite rare for a linebacker to be asked to cover some of those slot duties but that's exactly what Jabril Cox did for the purple and gold and he made plays. In his lone season with the Tigers and with his peroformance at the Senior Bowl, Cox proved he has the speed to keep up with Division I level athletes and Orgeron is excited to see where he falls in the draft.
"Great athlete, comes from a very disciplined program at North Dakota State. We used him as nickel out on the slot which is very unusual for a linebacker," Orgeron said. "Has great ball skills, can run, has great range is another great character young man."
Orgeron was also asked if he thinks opt outs like Chase before the season and Marshall during the season will become a common trend. The Tigers dealt with plenty of that leading into the 2020 season as Tyler Shelvin and Kary Vincent were just a few other names who decided not to play in 2020 and focus on the draft.
"I hope not. I think the team ought to come first. Obviously it was an odd year for COVID but I think if you signed on to play at a school, you should play with your teammates to win a championship. I think good things will happen after," Orgeron said.
