Tag: Ja’Marr Chase

Ohio State’s Emeka Egbuka is compared to NFL Pro Bowler by former NFL GM

That’s high praise for Egbuka #GoBucks

The [autotag]Ohio State[/autotag] football wide receiver room is absolutely stacked.

Although [autotag]Marvin Harrison Jr.[/autotag] gets most of the publicity, and rightfully so, [autotag]Emeka Egbuka[/autotag] is also viewed as one of the best in the college game. The praise for the Washington native should be glowing, especially coming off a season where he caught 74 balls for 1,151 yards and 10 touchdowns while adding two more scores on the ground.

Egbuka is universally viewed as a Day 1 selection in the NFL draft, but Twitter account NFL Rookie Watch is getting the hype train started early. In a recent tweet, it mentioned that former NFL GM Rick Spielman (the brother of Chris Spielman) said that Egbuka is “comparable” to Cincinnati Bengals star receiver [autotag]Ja’Marr Chase[/autotag].

The praise continues with a claim that scouts view Egbuka as a “top-10” pick, and if it wasn’t for his teammate, he’d be the first receiver off the board. Speilman seems to love the Buckeyes’ two top receivers, also claiming that they’re a better combination than Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave were. And remember, both of them were first-round picks.

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Former Clemson star named as part of one of NFL’s top offensive duos

A former Clemson standout has formed quite the tandem with a fellow NFL wide receiver. Former Tiger wideout Tee Higgins, and his Cincinnati Bengals receiver teammate Ja’Marr Chase, were recently named by Pro Football Focus as one of the top five …

A former Clemson standout has formed quite the tandem with a fellow NFL wide receiver.

Former Tiger wideout Tee Higgins, and his Cincinnati Bengals receiver teammate Ja’Marr Chase, were recently named by Pro Football Focus as one of the top five offensive duos in the NFL heading into the 2022 season (driven by PFF Wins Above Replacement (WAR) and PFF stats).

Last season, Higgins had a PFF WAR of 0.40, an offensive grade of 83.4 and a receiving grade of 82.8, while Chase posted a 0.49 PFF WAR, an offensive grade of 85.3 and a receiving grade of 86.1.

Here’s what PFF’s Kambui Bomani wrote about the dynamic duo:

Chase and Higgins excelled during the Bengals’ Super Bowl run as primary pass-catching targets for franchise quarterback Joe Burrow. The two young stars dominated on the field with top-10 WAR figures and quality PFF grades.

Chase and Higgins finished this past season with the second- and third-highest offensive grades on the team, and both flourished as big-play receiving threats. Each had average target depths that surpassed 12.0 yards, and they are expected to continue on that trend as vertical weapons for years to come.

A 2020 second-round pick of the Bengals, Higgins has totaled 141 catches for 1,999 yards and 12 touchdowns over the first two seasons of his NFL career,

Higgins racked up 74 receptions for 1,091 yards and six touchdowns during the regular season in 2021 before adding 18 catches for 309 yards and two touchdowns over the course of the Bengals’ Super Bowl run — including his 100-yard receiving, two-score performance against the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl LVI.

Chase, meanwhile, tallied 81 receptions for 1,455 yards and 13 touchdowns as a rookie last season after being selected by the Benagls in the first round (fifth overall) of the 2021 NFL Draft.

–Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images 

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Turner reflects on the best players he played against during his Clemson career

Former Clemson safety Nolan Turner was a guest this week on The Players Club Podcast, hosted by former Tiger running back Darien Rencher. Turned was asked to name some of the best players, in his opinion, that he played against during his Clemson …

Former Clemson safety Nolan Turner was a guest this week on The Players Club Podcast, hosted by former Tiger running back Darien Rencher.

Turned was asked to name some of the best players, in his opinion, that he played against during his Clemson career (2016-21).

The 2020 All-American and two-year team captain singled out a few different groups of players, including quarterback Joe Burrow and wide receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson from the LSU team that beat Clemson in the 2019 national title game; wide receivers Jerry Jeudy, Jaylen Waddle, DeVonta Smith and Henry Ruggs from the Alabama team that Clemson beat in the 2018 national title game; and quarterback Justin Fields and wide receivers Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave from the Ohio State teams that Clemson played in 2019 and 2020.

“The first three that come to mind – well, some of them are a group, you know; I might put them in groups – number one was Ja’Marr, Justin and Joe, them three as a unit. I’ll use that as one,” Turner said. “And then you run it back to 2018, and they (Alabama) got Jeudy, Waddle, DeVonta and Ruggs. That’s the other group. You see speed and you see talented guys, and then you turn on this tape and it’s a little bit different. Guys stand out a little bit more, look a little bit faster, and you know you’re in for it. So, those two are definitely the biggest that stand out. But some of those Ohio State teams that we played … Justin Fields, a heck of a quarterback, heck of a football player, and especially those receivers they had, too, with Garrett Wilson, Olave. Man, they’re some ballers.”

You can watch Rencher’s full interview with Turner on the latest episode of The Players Club Podcast below:

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Here’s a look at the SEC’s best receivers from each school and how they rank

This 3rd installment in our Gators Wire original series will attempt to rank the likely No. 1 wide receiver for every member school in fall.

After previously examining each Southeastern Conference program’s projected quarterback and lead tailback entering the 2020 season, this third installment in our Gators Wire original series will attempt to rank the likely No. 1 wide receiver for every member school this fall.

Featuring high-powered offenses throughout the league’s 14 teams, the conference had nine wideouts selected in the 2020 National Football League Draft, meaning there will be some big names to replace and opportunities for returning players to step into larger roles.

The Florida Gators had three receivers chosen in the draft, the most of any SEC program, with Van Jefferson coming off the board at No. 57 to the Los Angeles Rams, Freddie Swain at No. 214 to the Seattle Seahawks, and Tyrie Cleveland at No. 252 to the Denver Broncos, the fourth-to-last overall selection.

Three of the league’s wideouts went in the first-round, headed by Alabama Crimson Tide standout Henry Ruggs III to the Las Vegas Raiders at No. 12. His teammate, Jerry Jeudy, followed shortly behind, selected by the Broncos at No. 15, and Justin Jefferson of the LSU Tigers was plucked by the Minnesota Vikings at No. 22.

NEXT: No. 14 Josh Ali – Kentucky Wildcats

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How Georgia football’s defense can limit LSU QB Joe Burrow

UGA’s defense allows 10.4 PPG. It’s the best defense LSU has seen all year. The Tigers’ offense is the best the Dawgs will face in 2019.

Georgia’s defense is giving up 10.4 points per game and is by all metrics the best defense LSU has played all year. The Tigers’ offense is the best that the Dawgs have faced in 2019 and is led by Joe Burrow, who will likely have his name inscribed onto the Heisman Trophy in a few short weeks.

Burrow has completed an insane 314 of his 401 passing attempts (78.3%), has thrown an even more insane 44 touchdowns, and has amassed 4366 passing yards, enough to make him the SEC record holder for passing yards in a single season.

Those numbers are staggering and present a daunting task for the Silver Britches. But if any unit can possibly limit Joe Burrow, it’s the Bulldogs’ smothering defense.

The Tigers’ quarterback is poised and methodical with an ability to scramble outside the pocket the extend plays. He keeps his eyes downfield and has the speed to roll out and tuck the ball for quick gains to the sideline.

For the Junkyard Dawgs to diminish Burrow’s prowess, they need to keep him in the pocket. Rushing three men while dropping eight, including a spy linebacker eyeing the quarterback, keeps Georgia’s defense in a man free alignment that can negate big plays and contain Louisiana State’s explosive offense.

In 2019, several SEC West teams have used this formation in attempt to confuse Burrow to no avail, but Georgia’s speedy and physical defense possesses better athletes than any defensive group the Tigers have seen thus far, save for Alabama (which is debatable).

All of this is much easier said than done against a team with the Southeastern Conference’s best performing signal caller and an embarrassment of riches at the wide receiver position, which includes Biletnikoff Award finalists Ja’Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson. If Georgia’s secondary can maintain man coverage downfield while the front seven can keeping a spy on Burrow, they can hand LSU their first loss of the year.