The College Football Playoff National Championship all but solidified LSU quarterback Joe Burrow’s hold on being the first pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.
After Burrow set NCAA single-season records for both touchdown passes (60) and touchdowns responsible for (65), the Ohio native will likely be tasked with the (unenviable) job of trying to lead the Cincinnati Bengals out of the doldrums and back to respectability. The Bengals finished the regular season 2-14, meaning they will be the first one’s on the clock when April’s draft rolls around.
While Burrow to Cincy seems all but certain at this point, Bucs fans should remember that back in October, CBS Sports actually had Burrow coming to the Buccaneers to replace Jameis Winston. The mock draft was created shortly after Winston’s nightmarish Week 6 performance against the Carolina Panthers in London in which he threw five interceptions and fumbled twice, losing one. The Bucs fell to 2-4 and seemed to be on a downward spiral as they entered their bye week.
Here was the reasoning behind the Burrow selection (note: the Bucs at the point held the 8th pick).
“Bruce Arians may say he still has confidence in his quarterback but Jameis Winston threw 5 interceptions on Sunday and there’s no way the Bucs re-up him. Burrow, meanwhile, has been the best player in college football over the first month and a half. And in that time he’s gone from Day 2-pick-at-best prospect to putting himself into the Round 1 conversation.”
Well, Burrow did more than go from just Day 2 prospect to Round 1 conversation. Since October he’s also won the Heisman Trophy, a national championship and set those impressive records mentioned above.
As for the Bucs, they had a strong second half that saw them finish at 7-9. Winston threw for over 5,000 yards this season, but also had 30 interceptions. Now, he’ll wait and see what the future holds for him. It seems Burrow has more clarity on his NFL future than Winston does.
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