Cincinnati Bengals select Ja’Marr Chase in 2021 NFL Draft: Grading the pick

The Cincinnati Bengals selected LSU wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase at No. 5 overall, reuniting him with Joe Burrow who was his quarterback with the Tigers

Last season, the Cincinnati Bengals kicked things off with the selection of LSU quarterback Joe Burrow first overall. This time, they had to wait until the No. 5 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft and they used that selection to bring in Ja’Marr Chase, the wide receiver from LSU who won a title with Burrow in 2019.

Burrow — who tore his ACL last season which cut his debut campaign short — was fantastic in 10 games last season, throwing for 2,688 yards with 13 touchdowns and just five picks. However, the team struggled mightily and was 2-7-1 with him under center.

It was clear that Cincinnati needed to get some help for Burrow and that’s exactly what they did here by bringing in his former No. 1 target. Chase opted out of the 2020 season but in 2019, he had 1,780 yards on 84 receptions which was an average of 21.1 yards per catch. If that wasn’t impressive enough, he also had 20 touchdowns that season.

Was Chase the right pick?

There will be critics of this pick since the Bengals need help on the offensive line. That need seems even greater considering the knee injury suffered by Burrow but that doesn’t mean they had to go with an offensive lineman here.

Cincinnati drafts early enough in the second round that they can get a potential starting offensive lineman at No. 38. What they can’t get there, is a No. 1 wideout who already has a great rapport with Burrow.

Had Burrow been able to get the ball to a wideout such as Chase, that injury may have never happened.

In the end, this was the right pick. Cincinnati dramatically improved their offense with this pick.

Grade: A