Wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase may be willing a reunion with former LSU quarterback Joe Burrow to happen with Bengals colors on his draft suit.
It’s possible Ja’Marr Chase digs the color orange. Or he’s sending a message to the Bengals.
Chase turned up to the 2021 NFL Draft red carpet wearing a white suit accented by sneakers with broad orange stripes.
If you think those look like Bengals colors, you’re not alone.
The latest mock drafts from three CBS Sports experts have Cincinnati taking Chase with the No. 5 pick in the draft. That selection would reunite the wide receiver with his former LSU teammate Joe Burrow.
Ja’Marr Chase and Joe Burrow were an unstoppable force with LSU
The Bengals could still end up grabbing an offensive lineman like Penei Sewel with the fifth pick, but it’s easy to see why they might be interested in Chase.
At LSU in 2019, Chase exploded for 1,780 yards and 20 touchdowns on 84 receptions. Those passes were all delivered by Burrow, who ran away with the Heisman Trophy and enticed Cincinnati to take him No. 1 overall.
Chase took home the Biletnikoff Award as the nation’s best wide receiver. However, he didn’t build on that performance in 2020. He opted out of the season because of COVID-19.
He’s still considered one of the premier receivers in a very deep wide receiver draft class with skills that have wow’d since his days in high school.
The advantage of taking Chase is giving Burrow a familiar target in 2021, helping him to reach the next level after his shortened rookie season.
However, the draw of someone like Sewell could be strong since the team definitely needs to keep Burrow upright and free from injury to get the most out of him.
For more NCAA football news, analysis, opinion and unique coverage by FanSided, including Heisman Trophy and College Football Playoff rankings, be sure to bookmark these pages.