Joe Burrow has officially entered the NFL. On Thursday night, the former LSU quarterback was selected No. 1 overall by the Cincinnati Bengals in the 2020 NFL Draft. It comes to a surprise to nobody as he was projected to be the No. 1 pick once the college football season ended, and the Bengals reportedly informed him of the move. Based on what Burrow was able to do at LSU in 2019, Bengals fans are very happy.
“He’s a rhythm passer who benefited from tempo and scheme, but his vision, touch and read recognition made the offense special,” Lance Zierlein of NFL.com wrote. “He buys time for himself inside the pocket, but creates explosive, off-schedule plays outside of it with his arm or legs. He throws with staggering precision and timing, but he recognizes his own arm-strength constraints and is forced to shrink the field accordingly. His 2018 tape and unremarkable physical traits could clutter his evaluation for some, but he appears to be an outlier who simply developed and blossomed beyond those evaluation concerns. He’s a smart quarterback with special intangibles and could become a Pro Bowler if a team tailors its offense to his specific strengths and comfort level.”
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Burrow, an Ohio native, had a historic career for the Tigers in 2019. Along with leading the team to a national title, Burrow finished the year with 5,671 passing yards, 60 passing touchdowns, and he completed 76.3 percent of his passes in 15 games. He was the winner of the Heisman Trophy and Maxwell, Walter Camp Player of the Year, Johnny Unitas Golden Arm, and Davey O’Brien Awards. He was also named a unanimous Associated Press All-American and SEC Offensive Player of the Year.
“I think Joe Burrow is as close to a ‘can’t miss’ as you can possibly get based on his performance,” Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre said to CBS Sports HQ. “The thing you have to look at is what a team is looking for in not only a quarterback but in a particular player period. Maybe the best player available is not a fit necessarily for that team and the style of offense or the style of defense that they like to play. A lot of times, a general fan doesn’t see or know what the coach, what the organization, what they’re thinking and why they went in the direction they did.”
