Bengals select Heisman Trophy winner Joe Burrow with No. 1 pick of 2020 NFL Draft
The Cincinnati Bengals removed all drama about the first pick of the 2020 NFL Draft.
In the final hour leading up to the draft's kickoff, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that Bengals president Mike Brown welcomed LSU quarterback Joe Burrow to the organization as its new "Tiger King" a day before NFL commissioner Roger Goodell announced the selection. As part of that welcome, the Bengals presented the Burrow family with some new threads:.
Once NFL Network's Ian Rapoport confirmed that the Bengals weren't trading out of the first pick, the club selecting Burrow became an inevitability:
Goodell made it official shortly after 8:25 p.m. ET Thursday.
This was right up there with any of the most predictable selections in NFL Draft history. Every CBS Sports analyst and the ESPN NFL Nation mock draft all accurately linked Burrow to the Bengals ahead of Thursday evening.
In his final big board, Bleacher Report NFL Draft guru Matt Miller listed Burrow behind only Ohio State's Chase Young among players in this class. ESPN's Mel Kiper did the same while recalling Burrow set FBS single-season records in passing touchdowns (60) and total scores (65) with LSU last year.
In his final scouting report ahead of the draft, Walter Cherepinsky of Walter Football offered high praise for Burrow:
For the NFL, Burrow has the skill set to be a pocket-passing quarterback. The most important trait for any pro quarterback is accuracy, and Burrow definitely has that as one of his biggest strengths. He is a very accurate passer who can beat good coverage with the placement of his passes. Burrow is able to fit the ball into tight windows and does a superb job of hitting his receivers on the run to lead them for more yards. Burrow shows superb anticipation, feel, passing instincts, and timing to go with his ball placement to lead his receivers for yards after the catch. On top of his accuracy, throws a very catchable ball and makes things easy for his receivers with his loft and touch to drop passes in to his receivers. Burrow has phenomenal composure and comfort in the pocket with the ability to handle the rush without getting rattled.
Last week, Michael Silver of NFL.com reported the Jacksonville Jaguars may be interested in acquiring current Cincinnati QB Andy Dalton. Silver also noted Dalton could fetch attention from the New England Patriots and Los Angeles Chargers.
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