2020 NFL mock draft: Joe Burrow, not Tua Tagovailoa, goes No. 1

Joe Burrow overtakes Tua Tagovailoa in this recent 2020 NFL mock draft.

LSU quarterback Joe Burrow has been absolutely incredible this season and needs to be considered a threat to be the top overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. In a recent 2020 NFL mock draft by Ryan Wilson over at CBS Sports, Burrow does jump into the top spot, overtaking Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.

Here is what Wilson had to say about placing Burrow with the Cincinnati Bengals with the first overall pick of his 2020 NFL mock draft:

“This isn’t all Andy Dalton‘s fault but he’s not going to be the long-term solution in Cincinnati either,” Wilson wrote. “Burrow, meanwhile, has been the best player in college football over the first month and a half. And in that time he’s gone from a Day 2-pick-at-best prospect to vying to be the first player taken in the entire draft.”

Burrow was an above-average starting quarterback for LSU last season and is now arguably the best player in college football. LSU moving to a wide-open spread offensive attack this season has allowed Burrow to take his game to the next level. Through seven games this season, Burrow has completed an incredible 79.4 percent of his passes for 2,484 yards, 29 touchdowns and three interceptions.

Burrow is an extremely tough and smart quarterback who shows impressive pocket presence. He does a nice job of sensing pressure from his blindside and can escape pressure in his face as well. Burrow moves well in the pocket and does a great job of keeping his eyes upfield, looking for the big play to open up.

Speaking of the big play, Burrow throws a nice, accurate deep ball, leading his receivers extremely well down-the-field. He shows plenty of natural arm talent, a quick release and the ability to place the ball at all levels.

In this 2020 NFL mock draft, Tagovailoa goes second to the Miami Dolphins, followed by Ohio State edge rusher Chase Young to the Washington Redskins, LSU safety Grant Delpit to the Atlanta Falcons and Georgia offensive tackle Andrew Thomas to the New York Jets to round out the top five.

Personally, I still consider Tagovailoa the top prospect in the 2020 NFL draft class, but Burrow is clearly a talented player who is putting himself in the conversation for the top spot. Regardless of who ends up going number one, teams who need a new franchise quarterback should be salivating over the idea of adding either Burrow or Tagovailoa to their roster.