We’re about two weeks away from learning the truth: Ja’Marr Chase, or Penei Sewell to the Cincinnati Bengals?
Even the most casual of NFL fans have known who both players are since last offseason. COVID-19 complications gave them a path to start training for the NFL draft four months earlier than most of their peers. And despite not playing since the 2019 season, both players maintained their statuses as top-five prospects.
We’ve come a long way dissecting Chase and Sewell, and now that the draft is nearly upon us, let’s look at where the rest of the internet have them ranked compared to the rest of this class. Here are the findings from 12 recently updated big boards:
- Chase: WR1, fourth overall
- Sewell: OT1, fifth overall
- Sewell: OT1, fourth overall
- Chase: WR3, 10th overall
- Chase: WR1, third overall
- Sewell: OT1, fourth overall
Kyle Crabbs, The Draft Network
- Sewell: OT1, second overall
- Chase WR2, sixth overall
- Sewell: OT1, second overall
- Chase: WR1, third overall
- Chase: WR1, third overall
- Sewell: OT1, seventh overall
- Sewell: OT1, third overall
- Chase: WR1, sixth overall
- Chase: WR1, third overall
- Sewell: OT2, 12th overall
- Chase: WR1, third overall
- Sewell: OT1, seventh overall
Tony Pauline, Pro Football Network
- Chase: WR1, second overall
- Sewell: OT1, third overall
- Sewell: OT1, fourth overall
- Chase: WR1, sixth overall
- Sewell: OT1, third overall
- Chase: WR1, fourth overall
If you’re keeping score, that’s and average ranking of 4.42 for Chase and 4.67 for Sewell, with each player ranked higher than the other on six boards. Sewell is knocked a bit more in ESPN’s, Jeremiah’s and Kelly’s rankings with the lowest ranking coming in at 12th, while Chase was knocked the most in Bleacher Report’s rankings as the 10th best player. As WR3 nonetheless!
No wonder this debate has raged on; even the consensus has them pretty even. There maybe are a few more folks indifferent on Sewell compared to Chase, but you can just as easily find someone who has Sewell right behind Trevor Lawrence. Jeremiah has said that the NFL views Sewell as a polarizing player, but most clubs have him as one of the top two tackles.
There isn’t much else that will change from now until draft night. We have all the information at our disposal, and it’s going to come down to NFL teams to decide where these two end up.
One thing’s for certain though, these two are pretty damn even.
