The San Francisco 49ers made their first defensive back signing of free agency on Friday with the addition of Chase Lucas, formerly of the Detroit Lions.
Lucas, 27, joined the NFL as a seventh-round pick in 2022. He'll reportedly be joining the 49ers on a one-year deal. Where will Lucas fit in with the 49ers, and what else should fans know about him? Let's take a look.
A "special" addition?
Lucas has seen little time on defense in his NFL career -- just six snaps in total, all of them coming in 2022, according to Pro Football Reference. Lucas has established himself on special teams, however, in particular as a gunner on punt returns. He played 75 special teams snaps in six games in 2022 and 230 special teams snaps in 12 games in 2023. Lucas was also on the field during the 49ers' 34-31 win over the Lions in the NFC Championship game.
Lucas figures to fit into a similar role with the 49ers, who could certainly give him some looks on defense as well.
The Lions had the option to offer Lucas an exclusive rights tender but passed. He reportedly had interest from several teams before signing with the 49ers.
An NFL friendship
Lucas has had a friendship with Minnesota Vikings wide receiver N'Keal Harry since a young age. The two of them first met at the Boys & Girls Club in Chandler, Arizona when they were children, then played together through their high school days and into college at Arizona State.
"We were athletes, we played on the same team and we just blew it off from there," Lucas told the Walter Cronkite Sports Network in 2018. "He lived right down the street from where I was. My mom and his grandmother were best friends after that."
The two of them had dreams of playing in the pros someday, and they had the competitiveness to match.
"We were just too competitive and too aggressive for a lot of kids and you know some of them probably didn't take that too well," Harry told WCSN. "But Chase and I were always at the same viewing point with that type of stuff, and I feel like that was part of the reason we were molded into the type of players we are today."
It didn't always come easy
Before becoming a prep star at Chandler, Lucas had to earn his way into the spotlight. He didn't make varsity as a sophomore and, after being pressed into action anyway due to an injury at running back, Lucas was on the receiving end of a rough hit on his first play.
"The first play of his career, he got lit up," Chandler offensive coordinator Rick Garretson told AZ Central. "There's Chase, all 160 pounds of him, right? You know, like in youth football, a trainwreck collision. I was watching him going, 'Oh my God.' "
But Lucas quickly rebounded, scoring two touchdowns with 151 all-purpose yards in his first start. He later went on to put up 200 all-purpose yards in a game against the then-No. 1 team in the country, Bellflower St. John Bosco, which led to a scholarship offer from Arizona State. Things weren't all smooth from there, as Lucas got benched twice as a junior for maturity issues, and then missed some of his senior year due to a sprained MCL. But he finished with a prolific career as a wide receiver, running back, and defensive back, won a state championship as a junior, and was named to the U.S. Army All-American Bowl as a senior.
Leaving a mark at Arizona State
Lucas is regarded as one of the top defensive backs in recent memory for Arizona State, and perhaps was more than that. Lucas was a Sun Devil for six years and finished with 223 total tackles, 12 tackles for loss, six interceptions, 28 passes deflected, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, and two sacks. He was second-team All-Pac 12 as a redshirt freshman in 2017 and again as a junior in 2020. As a senior, Lucas was selected as a team captain and by then had established a reputation for leadership.
"Players know that when he speaks, you better listen to this guy," former Arizona State head coach Herman Edwards said in 2021, per the East Valley Tribune. "He has played a lot of PAC-12 games. It's good to see his maturity, and as you know, I have a great relationship with that guy. It's one of those deals, we talk all of the time, and I tell him, here is the temperature, I need you to do this today and help me out with this. He then finds a way to pass the message along."
Lucas was also a teammate of 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk at Arizona State.
Lucas ran a 4.48-second 40-yard dash time at the NFL Scouting Combine along with a 39-inch vertical jump at 5-11, 180 pounds. But he was viewed as a late-round prospect by NFL.com due in part to a lack of size.
"Slender boundary corner with an enormous amount of football snaps in his background," wrote Lance Zierlein of NFL.com in 2022. "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. His lack of size will make him a target against both the run and pass at the next level. Lucas projects as a late-round pick or undrafted free agent who could struggle to find NFL work."
Keeping his family close
According to a 2019 story from the East Valley Tribune, Lucas has always been very tight with his family, who have been heavy boosters of his every step of the way. Lucas has the names of his grandparents and mother tattooed on his arm.
"My family is everything to me," Lucas said. "My mom, grandparents, my aunt, they all did everything for me."
At the time of the story, Lucas had plans to get his aunt's name, Tara, tattooed on his ribs. She died tragically in a 2019 car accident at age 44.
"My aunt, she came to every game. So when people heard it through the grapevine it was really sad," Lucas told the Tribune. "I feel like now I really have a purpose to get right and do something amazing for my family."
