Who is Cincinnati passing over to take Joe Burrow?
Burrow had better be a superstar, because the Bengals are about to pass up a whole lot of fantastic for a guy who – again – doesn’t quite have the high-end NFL physical tools.
By taking Burrow, Cincinnati will be blowing off an almost perfect defensive end prospect in Chase Young. It’ll be passing on an almost perfect cornerback prospect in Jeff Okudah, and it won’t take an otherworldly hybrid talent in linebacker Isaiah Simmons.
Those three have all the tools in the bag. They’re the prototype, central casting, NFL All-Pro-potential prospects.
And it’s still a buyer’s market out there for quarterbacks.
It might not be a perfect call, but Jameis Winston and Cam Newton are there for the taking. It’ll take almost nothing to get Derek Carr from the Raiders, and the trial balloon was floated out by Detroit that it might think about dealing Stafford for the right price.
If the Bengals really want a quarterback, there will be a good one available with their first pick in the second round. Jacob Eason might be around, Jake Fromm will definitely be on the board, and if the franchise wants to take a shot for the stars, Jalen Hurts would be an interesting call.
Or, even better, trade out of the 1, get more picks, and drop down a bit and take a quarterback and one of the high-end star talents at one of the other positions.
To close out by getting kooky and mystical …