Is Ja’Marr Chase the pick for the Dolphins at #3?

Pro Football Network’s Tony Pauline seems to think so.

Earlier this week, Tony Pauline of Pro Football Network was asked during his weekly mailbag a simple question. But the answer to which he replied (if it were to come to fruition) would shake up the landscape of the 2021 NFL Draft. More importantly, it would add another target for Tua Tagovailoa and open up another dimension to the Miami Dolphins‘ offense.

Here is the question, along with Pauline’s answer.

Q: Any NFL rumors that the Dolphins could really draft Penei Sewell at 3 despite taking two offensive tackles in the top 40 last year?

A: Not if Ja’Marr Chase is available to them.

To some, this won’t come as a surprise. After all, before opting out, Ja’Marr Chase was well-regarded as the best wide receiver in the draft class. He was coming off a season where he recorded 84 catches for 1,780 yards and 20 touchdowns. Chase was unstoppable.

But then he opted out and DeVonta Smith had the best season EVER in the history of college football. People would soon forget how game-changing Chase also was. So where do the Dolphins go from here?

In all honesty, you can probably flip a coin between DeVonta Smith or Ja’Marr Chase, at least if you’re the Miami Dolphins. But the biggest bombshell from this report is not that Chase is the wide receiver they—and many other teams potentially covet most.

No, the biggest bombshell out of all of this is that Chase would be the target, regardless of whether Oregon’s Penei Sewell was available.

Of course, this could all be smoke and mirrors. But as we’ve learned in the past, while the rest of the industry is playing checkers, the guys over at Pro Football Network are playing chess.

Checkmate!