Trevor Lawrence, Micah Parsons, and Patrick Surtain also went ahead of Chase.
In 2021, Cincinnati Bengals fans were engaged in a raging debate about whether the team should take a generational offensive lineman or a generational wide receiver.
There were also rumors that Ja’Marr Chase’s friendship (and stunning productivity) with Joe Burrow at LSU tilted the Bengals’ decision in favor of the receiver.
That talk seems pretty useless at this point, as both Chase and Penei Sewell have thrived in their careers so far. Both look to be on paths to the Hall of Fame (barring injury).
Recently, though, The Pro Football & Sports Network put out a redraft of 2021, and they have Sewell going third overall to the San Francisco 49ers. In this scenario, the Bengals wouldn’t have to choose between the two.
This really just highlights how great Sewell has been, jumping a few spots from where he was actually drafted (seventh) by the Detroit Lions.
But, the site writes, taking Chase at number five was still the right choice for Cincinnati, even if Sewell was available in reality. Here’s what they wrote:
The Bengals made the right choice picking Ja’Marr Chase as the first wide receiver off the board in 2021. He hit the Triple Crown in 2024, leading the league in all of receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns.
This mock also has Trevor Lawrence still going first overall to the Jacksonville Jaguars, while Micah Parsons goes second to the New York Jets, and Patrick Surtain goes fourth to the Atlanta Falcons. Should they have also gone ahead of Chase?
You can see our instant reactions to the Chase selection back in 2021 below.
In other news, the Bengals are trying to keep another generational player, Trey Hendrickson, in place long-term. As we highlight below, there seems to be a lot of miscommunication between him and the front office.
