Halfway through BYU’s season, wide receiver Chase Roberts thought he was done.
The redshirt junior, who was creeping up in age, told people around the program he was entering the NFL draft. The only way he’d stay in Provo, he said, was a major injury.
But after he went through Senior Day and waited for the Alamo Bowl, something changed. He reversed course. And BYU’s best receiver is back for 2025.
“It came in the last half of the season,” Roberts told The Salt Lake Tribune about his change in thinking. “Kind of getting my draft grade, filling stuff out and getting answers from our guys. The middlemen [with the NFL]. And then getting the scout’s [opinion]. I felt I could up my stock, even though I was a little older.”
Roberts went into the process with a target draft grade in mind. If he was projected in the top three rounds of the draft, he’d go. But it became clear he wasn’t in that range.
“I do feel like I could go to the NFL and get a shot and make a team and be able to stay there,” he argued. “But also I have my shot on the field next year, hopefully up my stock.”
To some, Roberts’ insistence on going to the NFL seemed like a surprise this year. Roberts has been a productive player, with 854 yards and four touchdowns in 2024, but not seen as a high-end prospect.
He is 6-foot-4 and 210 pounds, but maybe lacks the true speed of a highly drafted player. His ability to beat press man, wide receivers coach Fesi Sitake said, improved this offseason. BYU trusted him to make contested catches at critical times — including on both game-winning drives against Oklahoma State and Utah.
Roberts said a big reason why he was adamant about leaving was his age. Although it’s his fourth year in the program, it is his sixth year out of high school. He served a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saint mission in Canada before coming to the program in 2021.
Age “is a factor you’ve got to think about,” Roberts said.
Money was another factor. With revenue sharing coming — where players will be paid by the school — and Name, Image and Likeness, Roberts will be well compensated.
For reference, if Roberts ended up on an NFL practice squad, he could make around $225,000 a year.
“College football, it’s a business,” Roberts said. “You got to think about that. You have to set yourself up for success in the future. Of course, I think about it. They definitely are going to take care of us, which is awesome.”
Still, he said NIL itself wasn’t “a massive factor. If it was all about money, who knows where I would be. Not the best place,” he said.
Roberts could have entered the transfer portal and had several Power Four offers. But he didn’t look, he said. If he was coming back, it was going to be BYU.
He liked the idea of again playing alongside quarterback Jake Retzlaff — who he’s worked with for two years. He thinks the offense will give him more room to grow — rather than going to a different offense and possibly making more money.
“The season I had didn’t allow me to be in that position [for the top three rounds],” he said. “I think next year, coming back with Jake another year, I could put up stats that help me out and finally get drafted in the top three rounds.”
He continued, “I think BYU has just been the place. It’s me. You know, I am a BYU guy. And it would be hard to leave for an opportunity over staying here.”
In the process, he was asked if scouts had overlooked him. And to Roberts, he thought they did. But he’s not sure that will change in 2025.
“We’ve always been that underrated, under-the-radar type,” he said. “But I think, when it comes to coaches, they know skill. They know guys that are going to be reliable. They know the type of players they need on their team. And I think I’m one of those guys who will provide that for any NFL team. And I think that’ll give me a shot.”
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