Cornerback Chase Lucas was selected by the Detroit Lions with their seventh-round draft pick (234th overall) on Saturday.
Lucas, who was a team captain at Arizona State, received second-team all-conference honors in 2020 (15 tackles, five pass breakups in four starts) and then garnered honorable mention accolades in his final year (34 tackles, six pass breakups in 10 starts).
“It’s been a rough couple months, but it was a rough three hours today. It was hard to be patient and trust the process. … I ended up getting that beautiful news that I’ve been waiting 25 years for. I’m very pumped up, very excited but I’m also ready to work,’’ Lucas said on a conference call.
The 25-year-old started at the college level for five years after playing running back in high school.
“ I feel my football IQ is a big reason why I was drafted. I feel like I do a lot of studying, a lot of film work. I feel like that’s going to translate to the nickel spot hopefully for the rest of my career,’’ Lucas saidl.
Lucas, who is 5-foot-11 and 180 pounds, broke out in a big way his redshirt freshman season by earning second-team All-Pac-12 and Freshman All-American honors (59 tackles, two interceptions, eight pass breakups, 10 starts in 12 games played). Lucas started 12 of 13 games played in 2018 (62 tackles, six for loss, two sacks, three interceptions, five pass breakups) and then all 13 contests as a junior (50 tackles, four for loss, one interception, four pass breakups).
His NFL.com draft profile reads: “Slender boundary corner with an enormous amount of football snaps in his background. Lucas plays in off coverages, which is likely for the best considering his lack of strength and long speed. He typically trusts his eyes and has the traits to make plays on the football. He plays with adequate footwork to pedal and match basic routes but struggles to stay connected to more complex routes, as his body control and change of direction let him down.’’
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