Former LSU football standout isn’t a fan of Bengals’ decision to draft Ja’Marr Chase

Former LSU football teammates Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase were reunited last month when the Cincinnati Bengals selected Chase with the No. 5 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.

While there’s plenty of debate about whether or not the Bengals made the right decision in the draft, there’s at least one part of the country that was beyond thrilled to see Cincinnati select Chase.

The LSU fan base.

Nearly every Tigers fan was excited to see Burrow and Chase reunited in Cincy.

Well…most fans.

Former LSU football standout isn’t a fan of Cincinnati’s decision to select Ja’Marr Chase

Former LSU defensive back Ryan Clark wasn’t among those who were thrilled to see the Bengals select Chase.

And it’s because of the inability of Cincinnati’s offensive line to protect Burrow.

“I know it’s going to sound crazy because we’ve now reunited two Tigers in Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase….but it’s not what we wanted. It’s not what we needed,” said Clark on ESPN’s NFL live on Friday (via 247Sports).

Clark believes the Bengals should’ve selected an offensive lineman instead of Chase.

Specifically, Clark thinks Cincinnati should’ve drafted Oregon offensive tackle Penei Sewell.

“When the last picture you have of your superstar, young quarterback is him getting carted off the Field at FedEx Stadium, that’s not what you want to see,” explained Clark.

“At No. 5 in this draft was Penei Sewell. Obviously, the best offensive lineman in the draft, a tackle that you plug and play the day he walks into your building and you passed on him,” added Clark.

It’s going to be a while before we know if the Bengals made the right decision by drafting Chase.

Clark, however, makes some great points. Having Chase doesn’t do much good if Burrow doesn’t have time to deliver the ball downfield.

But what’s done is done. The Bengals have Chase now and they have to make the best of it.

Hopefully, for Burrow’s sake, Cincinnati will find a way to protect their star quarterback in 2021 and beyond.

The last thing anyone wants to see is a repeat of week 11 last season when Burrow had to be carted off the field.