Cincinnati Bengals miss on Ja’Marr Chase, land Kyle Pitts in 2021 redraft
The Cincinnati Bengals hit the jackpot with their selection of Ja’Marr Chase fifth overall in the 2021 NFL Draft. If the 2021 NFL Draft was done again with the knowledge we have now, the Bengals would have a hard time landing Chase as a result.
Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report re-drafted last year’s draft and Chase went fourth overall to the Falcons.
Knox wrote:
"Drafting Chase would also fill Atlanta’s pressing need for a perimeter receiver. Calvin Ridley missed the majority of the 2021 season after stepping away to focus on his mental health. He has since been suspended indefinitely for betting on NFL games."
As Knox mentioned, Calvin Ridley stepped away this past season and that left the Falcons with Kyle Pitts, who they actually took in last year’s draft. Pitts had a really good season but it’s not surprising why the Falcons would have gone with Chase if they could hit the redo button.
Cincinnati Bengals select tight end Kyle Pitts in 2021 redraft
Cincinnati and Atlanta swapped picks, as Knox had the Bengals taking the Florida tight end with the fifth overall pick. He wrote:
"Choosing Pitts over a wideout like Jaylen Waddle or DeVonta Smith comes down to the fact that the Bengals already had solid perimeter targets coming into the draft. A trio of Tee Higgins, Tyler Boyd and Pitts would be nearly as formidable as Cincinnati’s current group. Additionally, tight end C.J. Uzomah departed this offseason in free agency."
While Pitts would have been a beast in this offense last year, Rashawn Slater was still on the board when the Bengals were making their pick. With everything we know about Slater now, he feels like the easy pick here, as he would have given the team a solid offensive tackle.
Maybe Jonah Williams moves to right tackle if Slater was brought in or maybe Slater learns how to man the right side of the line but either way, the Bengals would have had a durable and talented tackle to add to their struggling o-line.
Pitts, however, could have had a really strong season in Cincinnati. The team might end up trading C.J. Uzomah if this had been the pick, as Uzomah had one year remaining on his contract and wouldn’t have been the starter in the Queen City anymore.
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Chase was obviously worth spending the fifth overall pick on and fortunately, the Bengals were able to get him.