The Cincinnati Bengals made quarterback their first priority in trying to get back on track after recording a 2-14 overall record last year by drafting former LSU quarterback Joe Burrow.
Burrow had one of the best college football seasons we’ve ever seen a player post in 2019, shattering more records and taking home almost too many awards to count while leading his team to a national championship victory on an undefeated season.
It came as no surprise when he won the Heisman Trophy either, in a year that almost seemed too good to be real for a quarterback who was only truly able to begin his college career as a graduate transfer after riding the bench at Ohio State.
Burrow obviously faces the same type of jump all rookies must make when they progress to the NFL level, but the outlook is positive for him.
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When Pro Football Focus released its quarterback rating by tier, Burrow was listed in Tier 3.
Here’s a look at what that means:
“Volatile or conservative quarterbacks who will rely even more heavily on supporting cast and playcalling. Tier 3 quarterbacks can post top-10 production in any given year in the right situation.”
Other quarterbacks within that same tier include Jimmy Garoppolo, Baker Mayfield, Ben Roethlisberger, Cam Newton and Dak Prescott.
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It’s a new era in Cincinnati with No. 1 overall pick Joe Burrow taking over after posting the highest single-season grade of the PFF College era. Burrow’s accuracy, pocket presence and overall playmaking ability made him the best prospect in the draft, and he has the skillset to produce at the next level. While Burrow was certainly surrounded by outstanding talent at LSU, his 2019 season may be the best in college football history, as he never had a down game and elevated his play as the season progressed.
That may be the most encouraging sign for the Bengals, as Andy Dalton was a fine quarterback for many years, but Burrow has more upside and has shown the ability to rise to the occasion in crunch time. Drafting Burrow was the right move for Cincinnati — now it’s just a matter of continuing to build an offense around him.
Here’s what the network had to say specifically about Burrow:
“It’s a new era in Cincinnati with No. 1 overall pick Joe Burrow taking over after posting the highest single-season grade of the PFF College era. Burrow’s accuracy, pocket presence and overall playmaking ability made him the best prospect in the draft, and he has the skillset to produce at the next level. While Burrow was certainly surrounded by outstanding talent at LSU, his 2019 season may be the best in college football history, as he never had a down game and elevated his play as the season progressed.
That may be the most encouraging sign for the Bengals, as Andy Dalton was a fine quarterback for many years, but Burrow has more upside and has shown the ability to rise to the occasion in crunch time. Drafting Burrow was the right move for Cincinnati — now it’s just a matter of continuing to build an offense around him.”
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This is quite the compliment for Burrow, considering that younger quarterbacks that need to prove more are typically put in a fourth tier that includes names like Josh Allen and Sam Darnold.
PFF thinks highly of Burrow as only a rookie who hasn’t seen the field in a professional football game yet, and it will be curious to see how much he can live up to the lofty expectations.
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