Andrew Whitworth Weighs in on the Penei Sewell Vs. Ja'Marr Chase Debate

The Bengals legend chimes in on the great debate

Author:
James Rapien
Publish date:
Apr 27, 2021 8:01 AM EDT

CINCINNATI — Plenty of people have weighed in on the Ja'Marr Chase versus Penei Sewell debate that Bengals fans and analysts have had over the past few months.

Some believe it's smarter to take the offensive lineman, while others think Cincinnati can fix multiple weaknesses around star quarterback Joe Burrow, starting with a true No. 1 wide receiver.

Former Bengals offensive lineman Andrew Whitworth was the latest to give his opinion on the debate during his appearance on Dave Lapham's new podcast. It may be shocking, but Whitworth didn't throw all of his eggs into the offensive line basket.

^{"It's one of those things. What came first, right? If we can protect for one more second maybe we win, but what if we don't have to protect for one more second because we got the electric guy that gets open? That's a tough spot to be in," Whitworth said. "I can see the argument of Sewell and why there's so much upside and why they're like 'man, if this guy reaches his potential, how young he is. Wow, what a special guy he's going to be.'"}

Being an LSU alum, Whitworth saw plenty of Chase during the Tigers' record setting 15-0 campaign in 2019. He admits the star wide-out stood out from the moment he saw him play.

^{"Immediately watching tape of this guy even when he's not catching the ball I was like 'who's this guy down here? He just moves different.' You could just see it on tape immediately," Whitworth said. "And to see how productive he was—he's young and an inexperienced too, kinda like Sewell. You don't have a ton of tape, you don't have a ton of film out there to watch, but what you watch looks really, really special. I've called him a really quicker version or maybe a faster version of an Anquan Boldin. Gonna make the tough catches, gonna be a great route runner, but also has some burst. I think he's one of those guys that is a big moments type player."}

Whitworth didn't say exactly who he would pick, but he understands how tough of a decision the Bengals could be faced with on Thursday night.

Listen to Lapham's entire conversation with Whitworth below.

For the latest on free agency and the NFL Draft, bookmark AllBengals and check out some of our other articles below.

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