Ja’Marr Chase Expected to Be Top Rookie Pass Catcher in 2021

Ja’Marr Chase is reunited with his college quarterback, Joe Burrow, and that means he’s expected to have a major rookie season 

Chase, who was taken with the No. 5 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, will have to compete with Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd for looks in Cincy, but he should be a major playmaker for the Cincinnati Bengals.

WynnBET is projecting Chase to be the most impactful rookie pass catcher, as he has the best odds to lead the league in receiving yards among rookies at +6000. After Chase, Devonta Smith (+10000), Elijah Moore (+12000), Jaylen Waddle (+20000) and Kyle Pitts (+20000) are all significantly behind on the odds board. 

What may be even more surprising is that Higgins (+20000) and Boyd (+50000) are significantly behind Chase as well. Vegas seems to view Chase as the de-facto No. 1 target in Cincinnati despite the fact that he’s yet to play a snap in the NFL. 

While Pitts has better odds to win the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year Award than Chase at +850 (Chase is +1100), that seems to be more so for his expected red zone presence rather than volume as a receiver. 

Chase’s chemistry with Burrow is going to be a big reason for his success, as the two established a great rapport while at LSU. 

"The cool thing is Joe's done that with Ja'Marr for two years and this is the third year of doing it," Bengals offensive coordinator Brian Callahan said last week. "They got a good rapport. You can see it and feel it. They know how to communicate with each other. I think that's exciting for me. They don't really need to get to know each other. They do know each other."

Chase is still far behind Stefon Diggs (+550), who is predicted to lead the league in receiving for the second straight season, but he looks poised to prove why he was a top-five pick in this year’s draft.