Joe Burrow and Ja'Marr Chase formed one of the most dominant quarterback-wide receiver duos that college football has ever seen during LSU's 2019 National Championship season.
Still, as the Cincinnati Bengals hold the No. 5 pick, Burrow says that he's not trying to tip the scales in favor of his former college teammate, or anyone else for that matter.
"I haven't offered up any strong opinion," Burrow said on the Cris Collinsworth podcast. "You know, I'm great friends with Ja'Marr...we've been talking for a year, since we stopped playing together...we talked last week. So, I'm great friends with Ja'Marr, I know the type of player he is, but I think we're in a great spot...a lot of the picks in front of us will be quarterbacks...not sure how many, but I think a lot of them will be. I think we're in a good spot to just take the best available [player], especially after the free agency that we had. We signed a lot of really good players, got a lot of help on defense...signed Riley Reiff at tackle, who is going to help us a lot. So we're in a really good spot, and I trust the the organization to do what they do and do their jobs and pick the best player."
Trevor Lawrence and Zach Wilson are all-but certain to be the top two picks, and whether it's Mac Jones, Justin Fields or Trey Lance, the widespread belief is that the San Francisco 49ers traded up to select a quarterback at No. 3. Who is on the board for the Bengals at No. 5 will then be determined by the Atlanta Falcons, who own the fourth pick. The dream scenario for the Bengals would be for the Falcons to either take a quarterback or make a trade with a team intrigued by a quarterback. That would essentially give the Bengals, not in the market for a quarterback, the No. 1 pick for a second straight year.
Even if the Falcons stay at No. 4 and take a non-quarterback, the Bengals should find themselves in a very good spot at five, as Burrow suggested. The Falcons would seem unlikely to take a wide receiver (which eliminates Chase), leaving you to believe they'd be deciding between Oregon offensive tackle Penei Sewell or Florida tight end Kyle Pitts. If the Falcons take Sewell, that would leave the Bengals to either take Pitts or Chase, unless they are enamored with Northwestern offensive tackle Rashawn Slater or someone else that we haven't considered. If the Falcons take Pitts, then the Bengals would have to choose between an elite wide receiving prospect or the top offensive lineman in this year's class. That would be a nice dilemma to have.
Chase opted out of the 2020 collegiate season, meaning his last game action came with Burrow throwing to him in 2019, when he caught 84 passes for 1,780 yards and 20 touchdowns. It would be a great storyline for Chase to be reunited with Burrow in Cincinnati, though Sewell would go a long way in protecting Burrow, who is recovering from a torn ACL.
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