When Cincinnati had the No. 5 pick in the 2021 N.F.L. draft, many experts predicted that the Bengals would take Oregon’s Penei Sewell or Northwestern’s Rashawn Slater, two of the top offensive line prospects, to address their protection issues.
Cincinnati instead opted to take Ja’Marr Chase, the dynamic receiver from Louisiana State who won a national championship with Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow in 2019.
Drafting Chase panned out well for the Bengals. He had the most receiving yards ever (1,455) by a rookie in the Super Bowl era, and his connection with Burrow is part of the reason Cincinnati is in the A.