Schefter: Bengals pres told Joe Burrow that QB will be No. 1 pick in NFL Draft
Apr 23, 2020, 4:28 PM | Updated: 4:45 pm
LSU quarterback Joe Burrow (9) scrambles during the first half of the team's NCAA college football game against Auburn in Baton Rouge, La. Burrow is the top quarterback heading in the upcoming NFL draft. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert, File)
(AP Photo/Gerald Herbert, File)
About an hour out from the official start to the 2020 NFL Draft, the first pick had been spoiled. Not that it was a surprise.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that Bengals president Mike Brown sent a letter to LSU Tigers quarterback Joe Burrow, welcoming him to Cincinnati and looking forward “to building championship football teams with you for many years to come.”
Brown also sent Burrow a Bengals jersey, Schefter added.
Burrow put together one of the greatest statistical seasons for a college football quarterback in 2019, throwing for 5,671 yards with 60 touchdowns to just six interceptions. He completed 76% of his passes.
At 6-foot-4 and 216 pounds, Burrow will join a team that after a 2-14 season under rookie head coach Zac Taylor is moving on from veteran quarterback Andy Dalton.
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Mock drafts widely agreed that Burrow would be first off the 2020 draft board, but there is uncertainty behind him.
With the second overall selection, the Washington Redskins will keep their pick, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. They are widely believed to be taking Ohio State edge rusher Chase Young.
After that, the NFL Draft could get wild.
The Detroit Lions reportedly will consider trading out of the No. 3 slot, and quarterback-needy teams like the Miami Dolphins and Los Angeles Chargers won’t draft until fifth and sixth, unless they move up in the order via trade.
