Bengals coach Zac Taylor on first-round pick Ja’Marr Chase: ‘One of the best receivers I’ve ever evaluated’

“I think it’s a big thing,” Chase said. “This is something that a lot of people might not have the chance to do, especially to be with that quarterback that they won a Biletnikoff Award with. So I think that’s something that’s going to be great, you know. We’re gonna have a tremendous start. We’ll see what Week 1 brings.”

The draft began with a run of three quarterbacks as expected. The Jaguars selected Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence first overall, the Jets took BYU’s Zach Wilson at No. 2 and the 49ers picked North Dakota State’s Trey Lance third, but the fun began after that.

With the Falcons going with tight end Kyle Pitts, the Bengals had both their projected top options available: Chase and Oregon tackle Penei Sewell. Coach Zac Taylor said the Bengals grabbed Chase as fast as they could.

“There was a lot of great options, but we’re fired up to have Ja’Marr Chase,” Taylor said. “The things that he’s done, he’s one of the best receivers I’ve ever evaluated in the draft. You know, you can see the chemistry he and Joe have had together in that 2019 season. He comes in and he makes a difference. He adds to a great receiver room that we already have, you know, and gives us one more great playmaker to have and we’re really fired up for how it shook out.”

Burrow, the top overall draft pick in 2020, had said in multiple interviews this offseason he would love to have Chase on his team again, though he wasn’t necessarily lobbying for him or against any other players.

Chase said he had talked with Burrow about the possibility of the Bengals drafting him, but Chase wasn’t sure if he should get his hopes up.

“He (Burrow) texted me this morning just letting me know ‘get your bags packed,’ so I guess that meant that I was gonna be the pick,” Chase said. “I don’t know if that was a hint or what so he sent me that little text this morning. I was like okay, ‘I’m ready.’”

Twitter went wild Thursday before the draft when the LSU football account sent out a GIF of Chase wearing black, orange and white shoes at the event in Cleveland.

The assumption was he knew he was going to the Bengals at that point, but Chase insists it was a “last-minute” decision because he liked how they looked with his creamy white suit. He even added an orange handkerchief to complete the outfit and accent the shoes.

Chase said he wasn’t actually hoping for any particular team, but he was excited when Taylor called him with the news right before the pick was made.

“It was an amazing feeling, getting that call,” Chase said. “Of course, being a fifth pick, I just couldn’t really believe that for the most part.”

The Bengals had representatives at Chase’s Pro Day in March, when he ran a 4.38-second 40-yard dash and had a 41-inch vertical leap and 11-foot broad jump. His 40 was one of the seven fastest times for a receiver during the pre-draft testing process.

Taylor wasn’t there that day – he went to Florida’s event instead – but didn’t need to see much more of Chase after watching film of him and Burrow for what seemed like 10,000 times.

“He understand the ins and outs of playing receiver,” Taylor said. “He’s got great route understanding great scheme recognition. You know, they’re not 50-50 balls. Really when the balls in the air, he does such a phenomenal job of positioning his body and going up and making plays and then finishing plays off. That’s one of the things that really stands out. He’s got quickness, he’s got speed, he’s got great hands, but his ability to make that first man miss or break that first tackle to get additional yardage there is really exciting to watch when you turn on his tape from 2019.”

While some were critical of the idea the Bengals would take a receiver before an offensive lineman after seeing a clear lack of protection for Burrow last year, Taylor said they still feel some good linemen will be available to them in the draft, which continues with the second and third rounds Friday and concludes with the final four rounds Saturday. Cincinnati also added veteran Riley Reiff through free agency and have 2019 first-round pick Jonah Williams coming back, so the Bengals felt good about taking Chase.

Burrow tore his ACL and MCL when the pocket collapsed on him in his 10th game. The Bengals allowed 48 sacks, including 32 when Burrow was playing. Taylor said a player like Chase can help Burrow just by giving him a player he can trust to make a play.

“You’re able to put pressure on the defense, and we need to be more explosive,” Taylor said. “You know, that’s one of the things that we lacked these last two years, really. And so adding a guy like Ja’Marr Chase, when you already got TB (Tyler Boyd) and you got Tee Higgins, and then we got good depth behind him as well. And then you look at some of the other playmakers we got on offense, we’re really excited about the direction we’re headed.”