The Cincinnati Bengals have an opportunity to shake up the NFL Draft for a lot of teams, based on whom they actually select with the No. 5 overall pick. Conventional wisdom suggests Cincinnati selects an offensive lineman -- namely Penei Sewell -- to protect franchise quarterback Joe Burrow for the next decade (Burrow suffered a season-ending knee injury in his rookie year). The Bengals, instead, may have a reunion planned.
Ja'Marr Chase is arguably the top wide receiver in this year's draft class, who shattered records with Burrow during LSU's 2019 national championship season. There already is a connection between both players, as Chase would easily be the No. 1 wide receiver in Cincinnati if the Bengals decide to use the No. 5 pick on him.
Bengals head coach Zac Taylor won't give anything away, but he's hinting Chase is in play if he's there -- bringing up Chase's history with Burrow.
"It's one of the things that you weigh in. Certainly we take in a lot of factors. You know, their production on the field, their character, their football IQ," Taylor said, via the Bengals website. "Just what they bring to our locker room and what they bring to our team as a whole. Relationship with the quarterback certainly doesn't hurt. That's just one of the many things we bring in.
Here's where you can purchase an officially licensed Bengals NFL Draft hat and other Bengals merchandise, some at 65% off.
"It's not a negative, that's for sure. You get a chance to see at LSU in particular, they've had a lot of players come out the last two years. Some of them didn't play this year, some of them did. You get a chance to see an offense that is very similar to a lot of pro systems so there's not a lot of guess work in terms of how they're going to translate."
Chase, who sat out the 2020 season, had one of the greatest years for a pass catcher in SEC history. A unanimous All-American and Biletnikoff Award winner, Chase finished with 84 catches for 1,780 yards and 20 touchdowns. the receiving yards and touchdowns were SEC records, but have since been broken by DeVonta Smith. Burrow completed 76.3% of his passes for 5,671 yards and 60 touchdowns in 2019 -- the year Chase was his top wideout.
The Bengals are obviously familiar with Chase based on his repertoire with Burrow. Whether they draft him at No. 5 is up in the air, but the signs appear pointing in that direction.
