Penei Sewell or Ja'Marr Chase? NFL Insider Knows Who the Bengals Will Take With Fifth Pick

One NFL insider believes he knows what the Bengals are going to do with the fifth pick

All Bengals Staff | Apr 14, 2021

CINCINNATI — The great debate among Bengals fans and analysts continues with just over two weeks until the NFL Draft.

Some believe Cincinnati should take LSU star Ja'Marr Chase. Others think offensive lineman Penei Sewell is a no-brainer.

NFL insider Malik Wright says he knows who the Bengals are going to take with the fifth pick. He's confident that Cincinnati is going to reunite quarterback Joe Burrow with his top target at LSU.

"They're gonna take Ja'Marr Chase. They're gonna take the best receiver in the NFL Draft. He will be the Cincinnati Bengals next top tier wide receiver," Wright declared on the Locked on Bengals podcast. "I think the world of Penei Sewell as do the Cincinnati Bengals. They view him highly. He's offensive tackle No. 1 from everything I've been told about their board. The tea leaves are down there. The offensive line class is extremely deep. You're going to be able to grab an offensive tackle in round two. It just really shapes up in the Bengals' favor. In other years I think Penei Sewell would've been the pick, [but] you got a guy like Ja'Marr Chase on the board though—you can't pass that up. Ja'Marr Chase will be the fifth overall pick. Book it."

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Wright says the Bengals see the value in drafting Chase in the first round. They still plan on fixing the offensive line on days two and three of the draft.

"It's almost about where you're going to get the maximum value in this draft class and you're going to get the maximum value in the second round with an offensive lineman," Wright said. "I see the Bengals going Ja'Marr Chase in the first round. Second round I think they go offensive lineman. Third round I think they go defensive line player, whether it be a certain defensive tackle out of Louisiana (Milton Williams) or maybe an edge player if one that they like enough is there. Then I think in the fourth round they can double dip. I certainly think they'll double dip on the offensive line front."

If the Bengals do take Chase, they will almost certainly be able to take a starting offensive lineman in round two. If they take Sewell, then there's a chance wide receiver won't the best player on their board until day three of the draft.

Time will tell if Wright's report is correct, but he's confident in the information he's been given.

"I'm going to give it a 95% [that it's] Ja'Marr Chase," he said.

Listen to the Wright's entire interview on the Locked on Bengals podcast below.