4/29/2021 football Edit

Cincinnati Bengals select Ja'Marr Chase with 5th overall pick in NFL Draft

Julie Boudwin • Death Valley Insider

Managing Editor

Ja'Marr Chase is now the highest drafted wide receiver in LSU history after the Cincinnati Bengals selected him with the fifth overall pick in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft.

Chase is now reunited with his LSU quarterback teammate Joe Burrow in Cincinnati.

"It's a blessing coming true being out here with my family and having this great experience. I can't wait to work with Joe (Burrow) and the Bengals staff, so I'm ready to work," Chase said on stage after his name was called. "I need to keep the same mindset I've always had, keeping working, keep being competitive and I think that'll take me a long way to be on the right road."

The 2019 Biletnikoff Award winner opted out of the 2020 season due to concerns regarding the Covid-19 pandemic.

In the two seasons he saw action, Chase played in 27 games with 21 starts. He had a record-setting 2019 and helped lead the Tigers to the CFP National Championship. He ended his LSU career with 98 receptions for 2,093 yards and 23 touchdowns and was the first player in LSU history to surpass the 2,000-yard mark in first two seasons as a Tiger. The former Rummel product has eight 100-yard games in his career with three of those going over the 200-yard mark.

In 2019, he set SEC records for touchdowns in a season (20) and receiving yards in a season (1,780) and was also named a unanimous All-American.

Chase was set to wear No. 7 in 2020 prior to opting out and the No. 7 jersey in Baton Rouge is a number that has been passed down to some of the best players in school history.

In the Class of 2018, Chase was listed as a four-star prospect by Rivals, and was considered the nation’s No. 12 wide receiver.

He was named to the first-team 5A All-State as a senior and earned District 9-5A Offensive MVP honors in 2016.

For his entire high school career, he caught 115 passes for 2,152 yards and 30 touchdowns. As a senior, he hauled in 61 passes for 1,011 yards and 15 TDs for state quarterfinalist team coached under Jay Roth.