TJ Chase will be looking to land a spot with a team in the 2022 NFL Draft at the end of this month. The six-foot-one, 192-pound wide receiver played for two years at FAU after transferring from Clemson in 2020.

Chase had a solid 2020 season despite the struggles of the pandemic. He made 23 receptions for 334 yards and two touchdowns. However, in 2021, he only had 14 catches, 200 receiving yards, and two touchdowns.

The ex-Clemson player finished his career with the Tigers in the 2019-20 season, with a total of 25 catches for 206 yards and three touchdowns in 525 snaps in over 41 career games.

Chase was on Clemson’s roster for the College Football Playoff (CFP) appearances from 2016 to 2019. The Tigers won the CFP National Championship in 2016 and 2018, and lost in the 2019 title game. As a sophomore in 2017, he scored his first touchdown of the season against Florida State and then received a 19-yard touchdown against Duke the same season.

Chase was a four-star recruit out of high school, as 247Sport’s No. 43 wide receiver and No. 33 prospect from the state of Florida. He was also the No. 20 player in Florida overall, No. 23 wide receiver, and No. 115 national recruit and named All-Conference, All-District, and Tampa Bay Times All-County. 

Chase played his freshman, sophomore, and senior years at Plant City High School and his junior year at IMG Academy. In high school, Chase racked up 104 catches, 2,142 yards, and 23 touchdowns. 

Here are the strengths and weaknesses of Chase and what he can bring to an NFL roster.

Strengths

Chase is a consistent player and has actually improved his overall statistics over time. 

Since his time at Clemson, he has played fewer games, but has made a much bigger impact in his performances. Chase improved his receptions and yardage in half the games for the Owls than for the Tigers.

Weaknesses

Despite his slight improvements, Chase is not performing up to par compared to his competitors in the draft, with players like Jameson Williams and Chris Olave who both possess great speed and fluidity on and off the ball.

Being put next to these younger players, Chase doesn’t seem to be the ideal pick when it comes to these specific areas alone. He would have to be faster and more natural with his lateral movements to stay competitive.

Draft Projection

The chances of Chase being drafted by any of the NFL teams are slim, considering that his competition is among the likes of players such as fan-favorite wide receiver Garret Wilson.

He may be able to find a spot as an undrafted free agent, considering his skills and abilities to compete at the highest level. The New Orleans Saints were the team with the lowest number of receptions in the 2021 season, this would be a great opportunity for Chase to secure a spot as their wide receiver to possibly improve their overall statistics next season. Considering he played an important role in the FAU roster, Chase has the potential to be great.

Matthew Aguilar-Lizzi is a staff writer at the University Press. For more information regarding this or other stories, email [email protected], or tweet him @mattaguilarUP.