Trio of Louisiana products making waves this fall in college, pro ranks

Three former Louisiana high school football products have risen to among the elite on the national level including one who has taken the NFL by storm.

Nicholls State senior Daijean Dixon has been somewhat flying under the radar. He is a big receiver at 6-foot-4 and 201 pounds. A natural pass catcher, the Edna Karr product runs good routes, exudes confidence and works hard on his craft.

Graded with day three potential for the NFL Draft. Dixon gains good separation in tight coverage, adjusts to difficult throws and wins jump balls. Like a receiver his size should, Dixon has an above average catching radius and blocks exceptionally well on the edge. He occasionally operates out of the slot.

Dixon is the career leading receiver for the Colonels with 216 catches, 3,347 yards and 33 touchdowns. This season, he’s fourth nationally in FCS receiving yardage. He is all time in receiving yards and fourth in touchdown catches in the Southland Conference.

As an All Metro performer, Dixon grabbed 42 passes for over 1,000 yards and 11 scores, teaming with Racey McMath, the former LSU wideout who is now member of the Tennessee Titans, to help the Cougars go undefeated and capture a Class 4A state title in 2016. Dixon’s cousin is former LSU and Jesuit linebacker Deion Jones, now with the Atlanta Falcons.

LSU linebacker Damone Clark has been a beacon of light in a dark fall for the Tigers.

The former Southern Lab star leads the FBS with 99 tackles. He posted a career-best 20 stops with 2.5 for loss, a sack and a forced fumble in the loss Saturday to Ole Miss.

Clark (6-3, 245) has 212 career stops for the Tigers with four regular season games remaining. Averaging 12 tackles per contest, he could wind up third all time in school history for a single season at 147, just ahead of Lawrence Williams (144 tackles in 1981) and slightly trailing Bradie James (154 in 2002) and Al Richardson (150 in 1981).

After a rough 2020 campaign, Clark is now has the potential to ne a second or third round NFL draft pick.

Former Archbishop Rummel LSU star Ja’Marr Chase is positioning himself to be this year’s NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. The Bengals wide receiver currently sits fourth in the league among receivers with 35 catches, which he has turned into a staggering 754 yards, or a 21.5 yard average. Chase has six touchdowns, usually of the big play variety.

In a 41-17 statement win for Cincinnati over the Baltimore Ravens this past weekend, Chase recorded a season-high eight catches for 201 yards and a dazzling 82-yard catch-and-run touchdown.

The current odds for Rookie of the year has Chase +300, Mac Jones at +450, Trevor Lawrence +750, Najee Harris +800 and Justin Fields +850. I’ll say 3-1 odds aren’t too shabby with the way Chase is storming the league.

His former running mate at LSU, Justin Jefferson, may have raised the bar last season for rookie wide outs after totaling 88 catches for 1,400 yards and seven scores. To put that performance into perspective, Randy Moss had 69 catches 1,313 yards and 17 touchdowns for the Vikings in 1988 and Anquan Bolden amassed 101 grabs for 1,377 yards and 8 scores for the Cardinals in 2003.

On pace to smash those efforts, Chase has posted his numbers in seven games, the most for any player ever during that span. If he continues on his current sizzling pace, the fifth overall pick this past spring would accumulate 86 catches for 1,834 yards and 14 touchdowns, which would set new standards for first year players at the position.

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