Top 10 Quarterbacks in the 2020 NFL Draft: No. 1 Joe Burrow, LSU

History

Burrow was the biggest surprise to come out of the 2019 college football season. No one expected him to finish his senior year as strongly as he did. On top of that, in the 2020 NFL Draft, no quarterback looks more pro-ready than Burrow.

But in hindsight, it shouldn’t surprise anyone Burrow turned out as well as he did. Burrow comes from a long line of football players. His father, Jim Burrow, played in the NFL and CFL, before finishing his career with the Ohio Bobcats as the defensive coordinator.

Attending Athens High School in Ohio, Burrow led his team for three seasons, racking up an impressive list of accomplishments. Besides winning the first playoff game in the school’s history, Burrow threw over 11,000 yards and rushed for an equally impressive 2,067 yards. According to MaxPreps, he threw 157 passing touchdowns and 27 rushing touchdowns during his time there.

Burrow came out of the 2015 recruiting class as a four-star, dual-threat quarterback, according to 247 Sports. Ranked the eleventh best prospect out of Ohio that year, Burrow would accept a scholarship to Ohio State, turning down several other schools.

However, despite the impressive run in high school, Burrow would have to wait before he got a chance to impress the football world. After redshirting his freshman season in 2015, Burrow would sit on the bench as the backup to J.T Barrett in 2016 and 2017.

While Burrow did get some playing time during those years, he was still expected to wait his turn for the starting job. In 2018, Burrow was passed over for the starting job at Ohio State in favor of Dwayne Haskins. Realizing he would not get a chance to start, Burrow left for LSU in May 2018. As a graduate transfer, Burrow was allowed to immediately play for the Tigers.

His first season at LSU in 2018 was a preview of just how good Burrow could be once he started. While Burrow only threw for 16 touchdowns that season, the team still went 10-3, won a bowl game and finished the season as the sixth-ranked team in the nation.

Plenty has been written about what the likely catalysts were for Burrow to improve so drastically in 2019, so I will give you the abridged version: LSU began running a more spread-style offense, starting half-heartedly in 2018, and going full spread in 2019. This really went a long way in bringing LSU’s offense into the 21st century. But more importantly, this style of play helped get the most out of Burrows skillset.

Hiring Joe Brady, a former New Orlean Saints assistant coach, to be the team’s passing game coordinator in 2019 moved the needle for Burrow and the Tigers offense. Brady brought effective NFL schemes to LSU and helped bring out the best of Burrow’s passing abilities. The new-look LSU went undefeated in 2019, culminating in a historic College National Playoff Championship title.

In two seasons, Burrow went from being the back-up in Ohio to a Heisman Trophy winner and national champion.  He ended up throwing 60 touchdowns, for 5,671 yards and a quarterback rating of 202.2, according to Sports-Reference.

Once considered a potential second-string quarterback in the 2020 NFL Draft, Burrow has shown that a quarterback, in the right scheme, with the right coaches and support on the field, can be much greater than anyone could have possibly expected. The right mixture of talent, coaching and teammates created a record-breaking season for the Tigers and has created a full-fledged, number one overall draft prospect.