A quarterback, a safety and a linebacker walk into a bar….. His name is Chase Hansen. The instinctive, natural playmaker did his job well at the University of Utah and did so no matter what his job was. Playing three different positions in four seasons on The Hill, Hansen surely showed his versatilely.
Utah Athletics summarizes Hansen’s Utah career here.
Hansen spent four season at the U, accumulating 270 tackles, 32.5TFL, seven sacks and six interceptions.
2018 All-America linebacker and two-time All-Pac-12 selection (first team linebacker in 2018 and 2016 honorable mention safety in 2016) … played in 43 career games with 35 starts … 164 career solo tackles is tied for seventh all-time at Utah … 33.5 career TFL is tied for sixth-most all-time at Utah … played safety his first three seasons and linebacker his senior year … also saw action at quarterback as a freshman.
2018 recap: Second-team All-American by the FWAA, Sporting News, The Athletic and Phil Steele … first-team All-Pac-12 … started 13 games at rover linebacker, missing the bowl game due to injury … second on the team with 114 tackles and led Utah with 5.0 tackles per game (No. 7 Pac-13) … fifth in the nation and first in the Pac-12 in tackles for loss (22.0) … 22.0 TFL is the second-most in a season at Utah … tied for fifth in the Pac-12 with 5.0 sacks … led or tied for the team in tackles in nine games … two interceptions (1 for a touchdown) and four pass breakups … two-time Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week (Northern Illinois, USC) … career-high 13 tackles vs. Washington in the Pac-12 Championship game, Oregon (3.5 TFL, 1.0 sack) and BYU (3.0 TFL, 1 PBU) … named the Chuck Bednarik Award Player of the Week, Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week and Rose Bowl Game Pac-12 Player of the Week for a 12-tackle (2.5 TFL, 2.0 sack) game against Northern Illinois … clinched the win against NIU with a 40-yard interception return for a touchdown and also recovered a fumble … 11 tackles (3.0 TFL) and an interception against USC … 11 tackles (1.5 TFL) against Washington … nine tackles (2.0 TFL, 1.0 sacks) vs. Stanford and Arizona (1.0 sack) … three pass breakups against UCLA … quarterfinalist for the Lott IMPACT Trophy … two-time Lott IMPACT Player of the Week (Oregon, BYU).
Hansen is undersized for an NFL linebacker but his versatility and athleticism could help his cause. His overachieving history doesn’t hurt, either.
STRENGTHS
- Speed: A quick, explosive athlete, he is quick to the point-of-attack.
- Physicality: Not afraid to stick his nose in the mud, the unrelenting Hansen can make ballcarriers pay.
- Range: Long arms and good closing speed make his tackling radius fairly large.
- Recognition: Was among the top TFL producers in CFB in 2018. Diagnoses and cleans up quickly.
WEAKNESSES
- Size: A smaller backer, Hansen doesn’t have the build to hold up in repetitive NFL snaps.
- Over-run: Can be found out of position by over-pursuing, taking himself out of plays.
- Slide-off: Akin to his size deficiencies, Hansen is liable to slide off tackles.
- Age: After serving a two-year mission and playing a full four years, Hansen is now 25.
Chase’s NFL outlook is really hit or miss. His flaws are somewhat of red-flags for NFL scouts but his strengths are quite unique. If a team see’s his skills as valuable in a WILL or special teams role, they may call his name in the later rounds of the draft.
A good performance in the on-field workouts is vital for a prospect like Hansen. His combine work gets going Sunday on the NFL Network.
