The Cincinnati Bengals take Ja’Marr Chase with the fifth-overall pick, reuniting him with his LSU teammate Joe Burrow.
Joe Burrow went from decent college quarterback to the best player in college football seemingly overnight. He led the LSU Tigers to the National Championship and won the Heisman Trophy despite being 40/1 to win going into the season. So, what helped Burrow go from an afterthought to a certified star? It was the emergency of a certain wide receiver that helped him become that star.
Ja’Marr Chase put together one of the greatest seasons for a receiver in the history of college football in 2019. He caught 84 balls for 1,780 yards and 20 touchdowns. In the National Championship Game against the Clemson Tigers, he put up 221 yards and two touchdowns. Now, they are together again when the Cincinnati Bengals selected Chase with the fifth-overall pick in the NFL Draft.
The Bengals make the right decision reuniting Chase with his former quarterback.
Burrow also put together a historic season in his last season at LSU. He broke the 5,600-yard mark and put up 60 touchdowns. Such an insane stat line doesn’t happen without a little help. Chase being able to catch just about anything out his way is insane.
Chase has never caught another ball from another college QB. He opted out last season to prepare for the draft after Burrow entered the NFL. It was destiny that these two play together again.
Obviously, Burrow missed most of last season with a torn ACL. He had really good stats before the injury, but he was missing that star receiver who was always open for him. Tee Higgins had his moments. A.J. Green got old seemingly overnight. Tyler Boyd is fine. Chase is going to give Burrow a target that will get open basically every single play. This makes Burrow’s job insanely easier at the NFL level.
This choice seemed to be between Chase and Penei Sewell, the offensive lineman from Oregon. It was just too important to put teammates back together to pass up for the Bengals. This is a team that has been looking for stars since Chad Johnson left. Now, they have two at two of the most important positions on the team. Chase is going to help the Bengals offense be a juggernaut off the hands of Burrow. The legacy of these two lives on, and we couldn’t be happier.
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