Imagine, for a second, that the Bengals do not choose Joe Burrow with the first pick in the draft this Thursday night. As a Bengals fan, are you sad? Angry? Happy? I for one am still uncertain what I think they should do. Burrow will definitely be a great addition to the team, but are the Bengals ready for their next franchise quarterback? Or do they need another year or two of adding pieces before they take that step? Or is Burrow too good to pass up? Before you decide, remember back to the three previous articles of this series where we went over the three other number one overall draft picks the Bengals have had in their history.
Welcome to the fourth and final post of this series which chronicles those aforementioned number one picks by the Bengals, ending today with a look at what they will most likely do this time.
Most people seem to think it’s obvious the Cincinnati Bengals should, and will, take Joe Burrow with their coveted number one pick. The 23 year old QB out of LSU had one of the best, if not the best, single seasons by a quarterback in NCAA history. Appearing in 15 games this past season, Burrow amassed over 5,600 passing yards and 60 TDs with a 76.3% completion rate, with only 6 picks. He even ran 5 in for scores bringing his season total to 65. Those statistics were good enough to earn him the Heisman Trophy and lead his team to a National Championship victory. Oh, and he was named MVP of the game, completing the trifecta for the season.
So, is the choice as obvious as it seems? Who’s to say? Only Mike Brown, Duke Tobin (Director of Player Personnel for the Bengals), and the rest of upper management know what they’re going to do with that number one pick. Maybe the Miami Dolphins, who have 3 first round picks this year (including #5), come calling and offer two of those first rounders, maybe all three, and next year’s first round pick to move up. Maybe the Bengals decide that’s best since it looks like Andy Dalton will be around again this year. And another stud college quarterback named Trevor Lawrence will be coming out next year. Regardless, there’s still plenty of decisions to be made before we hear the number one pick’s name called Thursday night.