Victor Cruz thinks Ja’Marr Chase is the best receiver in the NFL
The Cincinnati Bengals took a lot of heat for taking wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase over offensive tackle Penei Sewell in the 2021 NFL Draft but no one is giving them crap for it now.
Chase has exploded onto the scene for 1,455 yards and 13 touchdowns and shattered records along the way.
Chase has been praised by former NFL receivers all season long but the latest former NFL wide receiver to praise the rookie wideout is former Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz, who appeared on the Matt Lombardo Show podcast. Cruz raved about Chase, calling him the best wide receiver in the league.
This is a huge compliment to Chase given the talented receivers in the NFL and the fact that Chase is only a rookie. He’s played in just 17 NFL games compared to some of the other guys who have been in the year for 5+ years.
Here was the quote from Cruz:
"“I think he is the best receiver in the league, at least this year. The biggest thing I love about him is, obviously he has all the talent; he can catch the ball, he can run, he can start and stop with the best of them, but what I love about him is there’s a level of confidence there. There’s a level of almost arrogance that’s like ‘I know I’m new here, I know you guys haven’t seen me, and I’m just in my first year here and doing my thing, but I can play, I can play at the highest level, and beat all of you out here,’ and you can feel that while he’s playing. That’s what I love the most about him.”"
Cruz: “I think [Ja’Marr Chase] is the best receiver in the league, at least this year.”
It’s hard to dispute what Cruz said, as Chase certainly has a case to be the best receiver in the league. What he’s done, especially as a rookie, is remarkable and it’s helped get the Bengals to where they are right now.
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Would Cincinnati have won their division and made the playoffs had they gone with Sewell? We’ll never know the answer to that but we do know that they made it to the postseason with Chase and right now, that’s all that matters.