BYU wide receiver Chase Roberts and outside linebacker Jack Kelly received coveted invitations to the NFL Draft Combine. This marquee event will give them their final and best opportunity to prove their value to NFL scouts and front office personnel.
The combine runs from Thursday, February 26th through Sunday, March 1st and will be held in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Roberts and Kelly are two of the 319 players invited to the prestigious event. In this year's NFL Draft a total of 257 players will be drafted. The unwritten rule of things in the NFL world is that only players who have a realistic shot at being drafted get invited to participate in the combine. With the eyes of the NFL world soon upon them, here's what both Chase Roberts and Jack Kelly will need to prove.
Making the "case for Chase"
BYU doesn't have much of a history of wide receivers getting drafted and performing well in the NFL, though Puka Nacua taking the NFL by storm could rub off a bit on Roberts.
Chase has the size NFL front offices drool over. At 6-foot-4 and 210 pounds he can go up and over defenders to make contested catches. He proved this over the last three seasons of Big 12 play with 148 receptions for 2,229 yards and 15 touchdowns, averaging 58.7 yards per game. He will also win over front offices with his maturity, professionalism, and leadership.
While Roberts's hands, route running, and size are NFL caliber, the questions talent evaluators have is about his athleticism. As an NFL wide receiver he will be going up against extremely quick defensive backs whom Roberts will need to beat with his lateral quickness and top-end speed. His performance in the 40-yard dash, three-cone drill, and 20-yard shuttle will likely make or break his draft stock.
As of now, Chase is still a fringe draft pick. If he can show explosiveness and flat out speed, he could end up as a Day 3 pick.
Does Jack Kelly have enough tools in the tool box?
In his two season in Provo, Jack Kelly emerged as a high-end outside linebacker who lived in the opponent's backfield.
In 25 games for the Cougars he racked up 106 tackles, 23.5 tackles for loss, and 15 sacks, including ten sacks this past season. At 6-foot-2 and 242 pounds, Kelly has NFL size. His straight line speed is also already at the NFL level, with his ability to close on ballcarriers just jumping off the screen. During the 2024 season ESPN draft guru Mel Kiper Jr. raved about Kelly's ability to pursue ballcarriers by saying, "You can see the high-end closing speed on tape. At 6-foot-2 and 240 pounds, Kelly flies all over the field and can also play off the ball."
While Kelly's closing speed and ability to get to the quarterback is well documented, NFL front offices are going to want to see how versatile he is. Specifically, they're going to want to assess his ability to drop into coverage and keep us with tight ends coming over the middle and running backs running wheel routes.
It's already a pretty safe call to predict Jack Kelly will be drafted this year. With a strong performance at the combine, he could rise to a mid-round selection.