1. Joe Burrow, QB, LSU
Height: 6’3″ Weight: 221
40-Yard Dash: N/A
Bench Press: N/A
Vertical Jump: N/A
Broad Jump: N/A
3-Cone Drill: N/A
20-Yard Shuttle: N/A
60-Yard Shuttle: N/A
Bio: A highly regarded recruit coming out of high school, where he was named Ohio Mr. Football his final season at Athens High School, Joe Burrow started his college career at Ohio State. However, with a crowded quarterback room that included Dwayne Haskins, J.T. Barrett and Tate Martell, Burrow eventually found his way to the transfer market and the LSU Tigers.
It is difficult to recall a rise like Burrow has experienced over the past season. Given the extensive, year-round coverage that the NFL draft receives online and in print, the summer scouting season often uncovers a few wild cards at every position, quarterback included. This past summer, players such as Cole McDonald of Hawaii and K.J. Costello from Stanford were mentioned as possible draft board risers. Yet Burrow was almost an afterthought. Even someone who wrote about him, like me, still viewed him as a Day 3 guy.
But then, this season happened. Burrow put together a memorable senior season, capping it with a Heisman Trophy and a national championship. Only, this was not your father’s LSU passing game. The Tigers were an aerial assault this season, with Burrow setting FBS and school records in a number of categories. His 60 passing touchdowns are a new FBS record, and his efficiency rating of 202.0 is also a collegiate record. His 5,671 passing yards are a new single-season record at LSU, and his 76 career touchdowns (remember, 60 of those came last season) are a new mark at the school, besting Tommy Hodson’s previous mark of 69.
Stat to Know: Burrow’s numbers this season are all prolific, and any of the previous numbers mentioned could fit this category. However, when you consider that in the NFL the vast majority of throws are made within 10 yards of the line of scrimmage, Burrow this season completed 206 passes on 238 attempts for 15 touchdowns and not a single interception on throws in the 0-9 yards downfield range. His passer rating in that area was 122.9.
Strengths: However, Burrow is not the top quarterback in this class for the numbers he put on the field, but rather how he put those numbers together. He displayed throughout his senior campaign the traits and work that are desired in the league. He displayed accuracy to all levels of the field, and Pro Football Focus charted him with the highest percentage of on-target passes of any quarterback in their four seasons of measuring that statistic.
Beyond that, Burrow’s ability to maneuver around crowded and collapsing pockets has him ready to handle life as an NFL quarterback. In Joe Brady’s offense, the vast majority of the passing plays were five-man protection schemes, leaving Burrow responsible for that sixth, unaccounted for, defender. But he was adept at either using his legs to extend plays (all while keeping his eyes downfield) or finding his hot receiver to make the defense pay for blitzing him.
Burrow also has the ability to make anticipation throws, better than his peers and among the best we have seen from a prospect in recent history. His ability to get the ball out on time and in rhythm, before his target makes his break, is going to give his receivers a chance after the catch from Day One … and make his receivers very happy.
Finally, Burrow does a lot of the little things extremely well as a quarterback, from using his eyes to influence defenders to employing shoulder shrugs and/or pump fakes to get defenders out of position. This extends from his feet to his toes. Watch his footwork in the pocket, Burrow is always in position to throw from a solid platform, even if he is moved off his spot, or carrying out a mesh with the running back on an RPO design.
Weaknesses: Perhaps the biggest weakness with Burrow is that the rise almost seems too perfect. It makes one wonder if it was the quarterback, or Joe Brady’s offense, that led to his rocketing up draft boards. Burrow is not a huge threat as a runner. He will get you what he can with his legs, but defenses are not going to dedicate a ton of resources to stopping him as a ball-carrier. He lacks upper-level arm talent, and on some of his deeper throws he needs to put more air on the football. However, he is still very accurate down the field, and his ability to anticipate helps him in this regard.
Conclusion: Burrow is a scheme-diverse, well-rounded quarterback prospect who should be the top player off the board come draft night. His lack of fear in the pocket and his willingness to give his receivers a chance is going to win the respect of teammates early in his career. His ability to anticipate throws and extend plays is going to lengthen his career. Finally, you cannot oversell the competitive toughness factor. Sometimes you just know when a quarterback inspires those around him, and you saw that this season with Burrow and the Tigers. He has that it factor, and it matters at the quarterback position.
Comparison: Tony Romo with a small side of Tom Brady. Look, comparisons are dangerous, especially when you slide in Tom Brady’s name next to a quarterback. But watching Burrow’s footwork in the pocket, from creating space to keeping his feet ready to throw, gives me Brady vibes. Overall, Burrow is very similar to the former Dallas Cowboy.