Listen, we all win some, and we all lose some.
Back in 2018, I said I would take Lamar Jackson with the No. 1 overall pick. I also had a third-round grade on Josh Allen.
Les Miles certainly had his share of success as the head coach at LSU, including a national title in 2007. But he evidently made a big whiff in his evaluation of Ja’Marr Chase.
Chase, the No. 5 overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft, dominated the pro ranks in his rookie season, after doing the same for the Bayou Bengals on their way to an undefeated season and another national title in 2019.
According to Chase, Miles didn’t think he could be successful as a receiver at the college level, let alone the NFL (via The Athletic’s Paul Dehner Jr.):
Ja'Marr Chase said there is one motivator that was one of his "best stories ever."
"Les Miles told me I couldn’t play receiver when I was coming out of high school."
Narrator: Les Miles was wrong.
— Paul Dehner Jr. (@pauldehnerjr) January 26, 2022
Miles left LSU after the 2016 season, two years before Chase’s freshman campaign for the Tigers. After a couple of years away from coaching, Miles returned as the head coach at Kansas.
He might want to revisit his evaluation process for wide receivers if he didn’t think Chase could cut it as a pass-catcher.
