The Cincinnati Bengals were at a major crossroads entering the 2021 NFL Draft. They were torn between reuniting LSU wide receiver Ja'Marr chase with Joe Burrow, or giving their franchise quarterback a cornerstone left tackle in Penei Sewell.
While I would've preferred that the Bengals mortgaged the future to score both Chase and Sewell, it was a win-win situation. And even though not having Sewell hurts, Chase was one of the greatest draft picks in frnachise history at No. 5 overall a half-decade ago.
In the ensuing years, all Chase has done is grow his craft, deepen his chemistry with Burrow, and establish himself as one of the elite players at his position.
If you ask me, Ja'Marr Chase is the best wide receiver on the planet. The image choice for this article is the implicit "Deal With It" eyewear for a reason. In part because, as it turns out, a majority of NFL coaches, execs, and scouts who were polled to rank the 10 best wideouts agree.
ESPN survey votes Ja'Marr Chase as the best receiver in the NFL by a wide margin
ESPN's Jeremy Fowler shared that Chase received 70% of the first-place votes among those surveyed. Some juicy anecdotes from Fowler's write-up are as follows:
"He looks different than everybody else with the ball in his hands. [...] Chase's 6,837 receiving yards are the second-most by any player within his first five seasons in NFL history. [...] [His] 19 touchdowns of 40-plus yards are the most in the NFL -- six more than the next-closest player (Tyreek Hill). And his 29 receptions against press coverage topped the NFL in 2025, highlighting his response when challenged at the line."
One NFL head coach said of Chase, "He's the best I've gone against...He can break it for 80 [yards] at any time." Another coach praised Chase's inside-out versatility that's become more prevalent in the last two seasons.
It just so happens that PFF released their own set of wide receiver rankings, where Chase checked in at No. 4 behind Puka Nacua, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and Justin Jefferson.
Nacua's athleticism pales in comparison to Chase. JSN is a phenomenal player, but is there one single thing he does better than Chase? If you give him a razor-thin edge in route-running or hands, Chase gets the nod in everything else. And I'll hear an argument for JJ, who's been sabotaged by bad quarterback play of late.
Still though, Chase is Uno. He is Him. He is WR1.
Further analyzing what makes Bengals superstar Ja'Marr Chase so special
Ja'Marr Chase is just better all-around than anyone else. His body control shows up when the ball is in the air, and even more so when he's in the open field.
Not often will you see the first guy tackle Chase to the turf. He doesn't crumble down after making any reception, either. Uno is out to punish people, either by breaking their feeble tackle attempts, or making them look silly with a juke move.
Chase's style of play seems almost injury proof. He has a mastery of varying speeds in his routes, and almost lulling defenders to sleep. He can accelerate so suddenly, and has the stamina to do that even when he's already run 30 to 40 yards on a given play. That's how he generates so many long TDs.
Remember how this was, like, four and half years ago?
Ja'Marr Chase gained 155 of his 266 receiving yards after the catch, +105 YAC over expected, the most YACOE in a game in the NGS era (since 2016).
— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) January 2, 2022
Chase is now responsible for the first and fourth-most YACOE in a game in that span.#KCvsCIN | #RuleTheJungle pic.twitter.com/iTZekmpuaQ
And mind you, Chase and Joe Burrow are far better players now. And the Bengals have a decent defense for once.
JSN and Nacua don't have Chase's breakaway speed. Nobody can really mess with Ja'Marr in that department. His route-running is also underrated. It doesn't look like Chase is as nuanced as other top wideouts on his routes, because similar to JSN, he's so darn efficient in his movements that it looks effortless, yet defensive backs routinely get shaken out of their shoes.
But to go back to Fowler's passage, Chase looks different than everybody else, JSN included. He's just as subtle in his routes, except way more explosive. The combination of acceleration and long speed are straight up staggering.
To think that Chase's trainer believes his athletic peak is still a couple years or so away, too!
Again, what is the argument against the Bengals being top-tier Super Bowl contenders this year? I don't see it.
Add us as a preferred source on Google