CINCINNATI — From their time together at LSU to the last three seasons playing for the Cincinnati Bengals, wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase has been linked with quarterback Joe Burrow.
The trend continues on Pro Football Network’s Top 100 List.
Bengals WR Ja’Marr Chase Cracks Top 20 of PFN Top 100 List
Chase comes in just five spots behind Burrow at No. 17, which is a healthy jump from where the wide receiver stood on last year’s NFL Network Top 100 list.
After his breakout rookie season in 2021, Chase debuted on the NFL Network list at No. 24, only to slip to 39 last year after missing five games due to a hip injury in 2022.
But Chase returned with 1,216 yards on a career-high 100 catches in 2023 despite Burrow playing four games well below 100% and backup quarterback Jake Browning starting the final seven games.
It will be interesting to see where Chase ranks on the NFL Network list later this summer. It will be surprising if he’s as high as No. 17, but that doesn’t mean we have the receiver ranked too high.
There are more wide receivers (seven) in the top 25 than any other position, and Chase lands right in the middle of that group as the fourth one, listed behind Justin Jefferson (sixth), Tyreek Hill (seventh), and CeeDee Lamb (14th).
Of the seven in the top 25 — A.J. Brown (23rd), Amon-Ra St. Brown (24th), and Davante Adams (25th) — Chase is one of only two yet to be voted an All-Pro. Brown is the other one.
But Chase and St. Brown are the youngest of the group as members of the 2021 NFL Draft class, and it feels like it’s only a matter of time before Chase is named to an All-Pro team. So, a No. 17 ranking feels spot-on for the Cincinnati receiver.
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Though he ranks just tied for 12th in receptions per game (6.0) since 2021, and seventh in receiving yards per game (82.6), Chase possesses many of the unmeasurable intangibles that make a receiver special.
There was a video that went viral last month of a young fan telling Hill that Chase, not Hill, is the receiver he looks up to.
This kid should be flown in as #Bengals Ruler of the Jungle next time Miami comes to town.
Well…. We Got A Honest Fella Here @Real10jayy__ @cheetah 😅 https://t.co/81Fz6c3GFA via @YouTube pic.twitter.com/HG1TAMQEGR
— Lorenzo Sorice (@lorenzosorice)
While Chase may be tops in that young fan’s eyes, the PFN voters saw things more accurately, putting Hill right next to Jefferson in the top 10.
With another big season, Chase could crack the top 10 next year. In fact, Chase and Burrow could both be there in 2025.
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And with a contract extension in Cincinnati on the horizon, Chase and Burrow figure to be in the mix for many more years after that.
