The Cincinnati Bengals selected LSU quarterback Joe Burrow with the first pick in the 2020 NFL draft Thursday night.
A long-anticipated move, the Bengals secured their franchise passer of the future to kick off an unorthodox all-virtual draft in which Burrow heard his name called while sitting with his family in Athens, Ohio.
Burrow stormed to the forefront of the national spotlight last season while leading LSU to a national title and earning himself countless accolades on the back of a 76.3 completion percentage with 5,671 yards and 60 touchdowns against six interceptions.
While Burrow trailblazed his path to No. 1, the Bengals stumbled out of the gates to start the Zac Taylor era, succumbing to the worst start in franchise history before finishing 2-14. Along the way, Taylor benched Andy Dalton and it became apparent the Ohio kid returning home to save his local franchise would be the preeminent storyline of draft season.
The process wasn’t without its hiccups. Rampant speculation suggested the pact wouldn’t come together. But the Bengals and team owner Mike Brown met with Burrow at the combine and the two parties eventually maxed out the allotted pre-draft meeting time during the all-virtual draft proceedings.
From here, the Bengals have six more rounds of work to do before diving into an unorthodox offseason potentially littered with delays or cancellations while trying to get Burrow on the same page with his cast of weapons at the pro level.
In the interim, the reset feels official for the first time in Cincinnati.
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