The Bengals took LSU wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase with the fifth overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft, after taking LSU quarterback Joe Burrow with the first overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft. Chase thinks that will prove to be a wise move.
Chase had an astounding 2019 season, catching 84 passes from Burrow for 1,780 yards and 20 touchdowns, and he says the same chemistry they showed at LSU has carried over to the NFL.
“I would probably say we never lost it,” Chase said, via Keith Jenkins of the Cincinnati Enquirer. “Just a little communication with me and him if I might mess up and he’ll tell me what’s going on, tell me how he wants it, tell me what I see on the play so we’ll talk about it, correct it and that’s how it’s always been.”
Chase says that when they were college teammates, Burrow did more than anyone to teach him about film study.
“I know in college, Joe was actually one of the first people that helped me really break down film,” Chase said. “I used to just sit there and watch myself, try to critique myself, but Joe actually gave me the ins and outs of watching film when I was younger. It plays a part now.”
A 1,780-yard, 20-touchdown season is probably too much to ask from Chase as a rookie. But the Bengals are counting on that rapport carrying over to the NFL.