NFL Draft: Ranking the last 20 No. 1 overall draft picks
By Kyle Edmond
No. 14 – Joe Burrow, Quarterback, Cincinnati Bengals, 2020 NFL Draft
When it’s all said it done, Joe Burrow could fall anywhere on this list. He could be a bust that falls flat and is out of the league within just a couple seasons, or he could go on to win multiple Super Bowls, it’s entirely unknown, which is why he clocks in at 14.
The concern for Burrow at the top of this class is his consistency. Before taking the sports world by storm with over 5,600 passing yards and 60 touchdowns, Burrow saw some struggles. As a junior at LSU, he threw just 16 touchdowns and only posted a 57.8 completion percentage. That rise from junior to senior year closely resembles the same rise that David Carr had before going No. 1 to Houston.
The difference between Burrow and Carr will be the pieces around them. Burrow is walking into a situation that will have Joe Mixon, an average offensive line, and hopefully, A.J. Green, which are three more things than Carr had his first season.
The other reason for this rank is the other picks around Burrow. Chase Young and Tua Tagovailoa’s career paths will also dictate how this pick pans out. If Burrow is average, but Young or Tagovailoa have Hall of Fame careers, that will knock this considerably.
Like the majority of first overall picks, it will be an uphill battle for Burrow in Cincinnati to get the Bengals back to contending, but he could be the perfect player to do it. It’ll be interesting to return to this list, five or ten years down the road to see where Burrow fits in.