Draft heat check: Joe Burrow or Chase Young after Tua Tagovailoa injury?

What should the Bengals do after the Tua Tagovailoa injury?

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The injury to Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has dramatically altered the outlook of the 2020 NFL draft, where the Cincinnati Bengals remain on pace to hold the top overall pick.

Tagovailoa’s serious setback throws a question mark into the proceedings. The odds of his going No. 1 have plummeted.

Even in November, this leaves a team like the Bengals in a precarious position. If they pick first, should the nod go to LSU quarterback Joe Burrow or Ohio State edge rusher Chase Young?

The gut reaction might be to side with Burrow, the Athens, Ohio native who has blossomed into a must-have prospect over the course of a single season. So far, he’s completed 78.6 percent of his passes with 38 touchdowns and six interceptions.

Seems simple enough, but even given the importance of the position, Burrow isn’t besting Young in many places:

Young, even despite missing some time, has a silly 13.5 sacks this year over eight games. He’s perhaps the closest thing to unblockable the NFL draft has seen in years.

All sorts of potential ideas for the Bengals exist. Maybe they grab Young and a quarterback later in the draft. Maybe they take the top passer and add a rusher later, hoping the underperforming line this year is a fluke.

Scarcity has to enter the conversation. Most teams don’t get a chance to pick first. The odds the Bengals end up picking first again aren’t great. There’s a reason only three non-quarterbacks have come off the board first overall since 2009.

And yet, this feels like a debate that is just beginning. The Tagovailoa injury has changed things, yet a talent like Young continues to persist as a dominant factor.

Vote below to see where Bengals fans stand.

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