The Bengals make it official, select Joe Burrow with the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft
The wait is finally over. The Cincinnati Bengals selected Joe Burrow with the No. 1 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.
The Dolphins were reportedly interested in moving up to take Burrow, but the 2019 Heisman Trophy winner has been the Bengals' target for months.
Burrow met Cincinnati's coaching staff and owner Mike Brown at the NFL Combine in February. He impressed the Bengals' brass, confirming everything they thought they knew about the 23 year old.
“He’s a proven winner. He throws with anticipation. He has a great football IQ. He can diagnose defenses as well as anyone we’ve studied. He can create off-schedule plays as well," Bengals head coach Zac Taylor said on Thursday. "He does a great job keeping his eyes up in the pocket and eluding defenders. They have great coaches and players at LSU, but there are some times where a defense gets you. He still had the ability to create and extend plays. Those are traits you can’t pass up.”
Burrow led the Tigers to a 15-0 record and a National Championship victory over Clemson. He finished first in the country in multiple passing categories including yards (5,671), touchdown passes (60) and completion percentage (76.3).
Burrow will have plenty of weapons around him, including 7-time Pro Bowler A.J. Green, Joe Mixon, Tyler Boyd and John Ross. Cincinnati also signed six projected starters in free agency to help improve the roster this offseason.
The Bengals hope drafting Burrow is just the start of a special run in Cincinnati.
“He has an earned confidence. It’s a confidence he’s earned because he put the work in," Taylor said. "He’s achieved success on the field with a national championship. I can tell he doesn’t take that for granted. He knows that he has to continue to work even harder than he ever has before at this level. There’s new challenges he hasn’t faced before. You can tell he’s very comfortable in his own skin, and comfortable with what we’re asking him to do.”
