#118 - 4th Round - New Orleans, Chase Lyman, WR, CALIFORNIA

[Hostile]

Saints select...Chase Lyman
WR | (6'2", 217, 4.54) | CALIFORNIA

[Juke99]

Strengths: Has flashed a lot of potential and was extremely productive at the highest collegiate level when healthy. He has very good overall size. Has above average height and is well-built. Has adequate-to-good straight-line speed. Has a terrific feel for finding soft spots versus zone coverage. Is instinctive and will come back to his quarterback. Knows how to get open and has a knack for coming up with big plays in critical situations. Shows excellent hands. Can pluck on the run and catch over his head. A solid blocker with good size, adequate strength and fine effort.

Weaknesses: Durability is the biggest concern. He has failed to prove he can play an entire season without being affected by injury. He is not an overly flexible athlete and long-term durability is also a major concern. He has adequate-to-good but not great speed. Was aided by wide-open passing scheme in college. Will have a big transition to make in the NFL. Needs to become a sharper route runner and learn to get in and out of his breaks without gearing down too much or rounding off his cuts. Also, he lacks great elusiveness and won't be a big after-the-catch threat.

Overall: Lyman injured the back of his knee before even arriving on campus in 2000, but still played as a true freshman and caught 19 passes for 313 yards. He had an appendectomy the following August and missed the season opener of his sophomore season. Lyman was slated to start and was No. 1 on the depth chart in 2002, then tore his hamstring. He missed the season and spring ball. He caught five passes for a career-high 149 yards and a touchdown in Cal's 52-49 Insight Bowl win over Virginia Tech in 2003 and carried that success into his senior season in 2004 where he had 14 receptions for 414 yards and four TD's before suffering yet another injury  this time a season-ending knee injury. Lyman has shown flashes when healthy. He has excellent size, reliable hands, very good instincts as a route runner and adequate-to-good top-end speed for a big receiver. The problem, however, is that he can't stay on the field. There also have to be concerns about the wide-open scheme he played in and the tough transition he will need to make to the NFL. In our opinion, Lyman has enough upside and production to take a chance on in the late-fourth and fifth round range -- but no earlier.

[Juke99]

Chase Lyman, WR, California
Height: 6:02.5 Weight: 217

Overview: Lyman is a big, strong, physical receiver who has battled through a myriad of injuries (ankle, groin, hamstring, hip, and appendicitis) during his California career. He is a fluid runner with deceptive speed, showing big play abilities and game-changing skills coming off the snap. He comes from a sports oriented family, as his grandfather, Fred Hodge, played football at California under Pappy Waldorf in the late 1940s. His father, Brad, ran track and played football at UCLA, going on to a pro career with the Houston Oilers (1968-74). Chase Lyman earned West Catholic Athletic League Player of the Year honors as a senior at Saint Francis High School, He also earned first-team Bay Area honors by the San Francisco Examiner and was a first-team Central Coast Section selection, the National Football Foundation Scholar-Athlete of the Year for Northern California in 2000 and selected the San Jose Mercury-News Male Athlete of the Year. Lyman caught 40 passes for 825 yards as a senior. He was also a standout basketball player who earned WCAL honors as a junior and third-team All-Bay Area accolades as a senior. Lyman was a section finalist in the long jump and 4x100 relay in track and field. During his time at California, Chase would undergo six surgical procedures. He petitioned the NCAA for a sixth year of eligibility, but was rejected and entered the 2005 NFL Draft. Even before playing in his first game with the Bears, Lyman was injured. He hurt the back of his left knee in August camp prior to the 2000 season, but played in eleven games that year, catching a career-high 19 passes for 313 yards (16.5 avg) and two touchdowns. Lyman sat out the 2001 season opener vs. Illinois after having an appendectomy during fall camp. He played in nine games, totaling nine receptions for 106 yards (11.8 avg) and a score. He then missed the 2002 season after a series of mishaps in August camp. He first suffered a dislocated finger and two days later, tore his hamstring off the bone and was granted a medical hardship. He sat out 2003 spring drills while recovering from that hamstring surgery, but managed to play in ten games. He finished with 12 catches for 256 yards (21.3 avg) and a touchdown. In 2004, he was having a banner early season and provided a great spark for the offense with his ability to stretch the field. Alas, the injury bug would bite again. In the Southern California contest, he suffered a torn ligament in his left knee, undergoing surgery and closing his career after only four games of the '04 campaign. Before his latest injury, Lyman had caught 14 passes for 414 yards (29.6 avg) and five touchdowns. In 34 games with California, he started eight times. He finished with 54 receptions for 1089 yards (20.2 avg) and nine touchdowns, adding 18 yards on two carries and a pair of solo tackles.

Analysis: Positives...For a player of his size, he appears lighter than he actually is...He has good chest and shoulder muscle definition, small waist, good bubble, high cut, thick thighs and calves...Has very active hands to beat the jam...Fluid route runner who shows quickness in and out of his cuts...Has the ability to find the open area and knows where the pursuit is coming...Reliable underneath pass catcher who catches with his hands outside the body's frame...Shows good concentration down field combating for the ball in a crowd...Shows the ability to adjust to the ball in the air and has the leaping ability to out-rebound most defensive backs on the high balls...Shows intent on contact as a blocker and does a good job cut blocking in the open.

Negatives...Medical risk, as he has undergone six surgical procedures and missed 26 games due to injuries during his career...Has good timed speed, but like most big receiver as, he struggles a bit to stay low in his pads and gets too high and erect in his release... Lacks a sudden burst off the ball and while he can turn on his breaks, he has to gather before reaching top speed...Not a burner who will consistently stretch the field, but has the ability to track and locate the ball...Relies more on juking and double moves to gain separation after the catch, lacking the second gear to race by and elude defenders.

Agility tests: COMBINE: 4.46 in the 40-yard dash...2.59 20-yard dash...1.58 10-yard dash...35-inch vertical jump (campus)...Bench presses 225 pounds 16 times...31 -inch arm length...9 7/8-inch hands...24 Wonderlic score.

High school: Attended Saint Francis (Los Altos Hills, Cal.) High School, where he earned West Catholic Athletic League Player of the Year honors as a senior...Also earned first-team Bay Area honors by the San Francisco Examiner and was a first-team Central Coast Section pick, the National Football Foundation Scholar-Athlete of the Year for Northern California in 2000 and selected the San Jose Mercury-News Male Athlete of the Year...Caught 40 passes for 825 yards as a senior...Was also a standout basketball player who earned WCAL honors as a junior and third-team All-Bay Area accolades as a senior...Section finalist in the long jump and 4x100 relay in track and field.

Personal: American Studies major...His great grandfather, Frank Hodge, graduated from California in 1916 and his grandfather, Fred Hodge, played football at Cal under Pappy Waldorf in the late 1940s...Father, Brad, ran track and played football at UCLA, going on to a pro career with the Houston Oilers (1968-74)...Born 9/04/82 in Mountain View, California...Resides in Los Altos Hills, California.

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