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Writer's pictureRyan McCluskey

Chase-ing Glory

Forged in the fiery depths of Tempe, AZ emerges the Lions 7th-round draft pick Chase Lucas CB from the Arizona State Sun Devils...

Credit - Steve Cheng, Bruin Report


Hailing from nearby Chandler, AZ where he also attended high school he made the decision to stay in-state and commit to the PAC-12 outfit in the year 2016 where he would go on to play in an astonishing 50 collegiate games including bowl appearances spanning a 5-year career in maroon and gold.


With a grand total of 223 career tackles under his belt to go along with 28 passes defended, 2 sacks, 6 interceptions, and 2 forced fumbles earning himself two 2nd team All PAC-12 honours (2017,2020) he has been a linchpin in the Sun Devil defense for a number of years garnering league-wide respect in and out the locker room.


When it comes to the Territorial Cup rivalry with the Arizona Wildcats Chase is undefeated winning 5/5 meetings with the not so noisy neighbors next door without looking back through the archives I highly doubt many past Sun Devils can boast such a record.


So what did Detroit see in Chase to spend a pick on him and not wait to see if he went undrafted I hear you ask?


Leadership

Physicality

Experience

Coachable


In his latter years as a Sun Devil, he was fortunate enough to be coached by NFL veterans Herm Edwards and Marvin Lewis which was invaluable to a young man. You have to learn from the best to become the best, he has seen a plethora of teammates drafted in what has been somewhat of a purple patch for Arizona State in recent years including Frank Darby, Rachaad White, N'Keal Harry, Darien Butler, Kellen Deisch etc.


Recently turning 25 instantly makes Chase one of the elder and more experienced guys in the defensive back room in Detroit which some people think is an issue but on the contrary, I think this works in his favour we are stacked with lots of young untested inexperienced players at the position all jostling for positions like the Grand National home straight. I predict if he makes the roster you can expect him to make an impact on special teams and compete for the NB/Dime/Slot CB role with the likes of Mike Hughes and AJ Parker.


Chalking up a score of 8.89 via RAS testing it's easy to see why Brad Holmes and Dan Campbell like the athletic CB despite the smaller slender frame measuring in at 5'11 190lbs the hips are fluid, the bottom half has explosion, and the ability to twitch and change direction on the flip of a coin gives you plenty to work with at the next level.


Once you get past round 5 of the NFL draft people usually say it's like throwing darts at a board; you see who you land and if they pan out in some shape or form; if they can hang on to the coattails of a National Football League roster or the very least sit and learn their trade on a practice squad but with Chase you're getting someone who's vastly more experienced and a little more polished than some of the guys you see going in 200s. Where he was taken is no reflection on him or the hard work he's put in at a program that's been successful for the majority of his time there.


"The best ability is availability" - Brian Dawkins”


The level of conditioning and reliability Chase brings to the table is cyborg-like he's given his all and kept himself relatively healthy for the majority of college at the same time which is a rare thing indeed...


As a fan of the Detroit Lions and the Arizona State Sun Devils, my worlds have collided and I wish Chase the best of luck in his National Football League journey!

 

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Comments (4)

L K
L K
17 août

look forward to your conclusions on these players/positions after the game today, ty

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xylo
xylo
16 août

Thanks Ash, RE TE's - Just to reiterate what Riz said ,& its worth noting what the Lions want their TE3 /4 to do, and how many game reps they'll actually get . Parker Hesse has been taking most Reps in camp primairly as blocker ( & FB ). Mitchel hasn't performed BUT, can Block & has some ST value,& was a draft pick. Zylstra is the best receiver -,but can't block - heresey on this team. So.........bearing in what Campbell said about the WR room ie its about the best players , irrespective of position......how about.......Mitchel as TE4 , & Zylstra ( TE5 ) taking the place of of WR5 ?

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john.seelye
14 oct. 2023

Ash, thank you so much for doing these. You and the rest of the ROTL UK gang are fantastic!

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Jerimy Walker
Jerimy Walker
30 avr. 2023

Greetings, I was glad to listen to your interesting interview. The season went really well. I liked the quality of your broadcast, which application did you use for this? Is it on this list? I just want to do live broadcasts

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