Penei Sewell or Ja'Marr Chase? Joe Burrow Leaving That Decision To Bengals

The Cincinnati Bengals could have a tough choice to make come draft night.

Star quarterback Joe Burrow is coming off a torn ACL that ended his rookie season prematurely. Considering a lack of protection was mostly to blame for the injury, the team obviously knows they need to get Burrow more help up front. For that reason, many mock drafts have the Bengals selecting Penei Sewell as their No. 5 overall pick.

On the other hand, reuniting Burrow with his former top playmaker at LSU, wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase might also be beneficial as well. Chase is arguably the top pass-catcher in the draft, and he would fill a void left behind by AJ Green, who recently signed with Arizona.

So whom should Cincinnati take at No. 5? It's a tough decision, but Burrow will leave that to those entrusted with making it. He talked about this issue on a recent Pro Football Focus podcast appearance with Chris Collinsworth.

"I trust the organization to do what they do and do their jobs and pick the best player," Burrow said, via Bengals.com. "I think we're in a good spot to take just the best available. Especially after the free agency we had. We got a lot of really good players that are going to be a lot of help on defense, and Riley Reiff at tackle is going to help us a lot."

Getting Burrow more protection should be the top priority entering the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft, but that doesn't mean the Bengals will go in that direction. It's possible to take Chase at No. 5 and then turn to someone like OT Alex Leatherwood out of Alabama in the second round.

Though Penei Sewell of Oregon has been mocked to Cincinnati for over a year, things are beginning to trend in Chase's direction. Either way, Burrow is going to get a premium talent added to his offense in Year 2.

Follow Clint Lamb on Twitter @ClintRLamb.