Joe Burrow received a warm welcome to Cincinnati from one of the city’s other top athletes.
Cincinnati Reds pitcher Trevor Bauer predicted “big things” for the city’s sports teams in the years to come as he welcomed Burrow in a tweet Thursday.
Bauer is a free agent at the end of the 2020 season. This probably isn’t a hint that he’s planning to stick around in Cincinnati, but it’s interesting all the same.
As for Burrow, big things are expected of the Ohio native. He’ll probably appreciate this welcome from Bauer more than the greeting he got from one of his future rivals.
Joe Burrow has officially been selected first overall by the Cincinnati Bengals. That means he’s been dropped into an AFC North that features two traditional defensive powerhouses in the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers.
Calais Campbell is a new part of that Baltimore defense. The star pass-rusher was quick to welcome Burrow to the NFL with an outstanding tweet.
Campbell had 6.5 sacks last season and will be looking to improve on that tally. Burrow will be in his sights twice a year, and it sounds like Campbell is ready to take him down.
Judging by the attitude among the Baltimore defense, Burrow won’t be the only quarterback the Ravens target in 2020.
Joe Burrow has been waiting a long time to hear his name called during the NFL Draft, but he may not be looking quite as dapper as he had hoped when that moment finally comes.
Like millions of others across the world, Burrow has not been able to visit a barbershop or hair salon while following stay-at-home orders. In the hours leading up to the draft on Thursday, Burrow sent a hilarious tweet warning people that he isn’t thrilled with the hairstyle he’s going to have during the big event.
We feel you, Joe.
In addition to being the best quarterback in the draft class, Burrow also has a great sense of humor. We saw an example of that earlier this offseason when he mocked the concerns over his small hands. Cincinnati Bengals fans are going to love him.
Joe Burrow has never shied away from reminding everyone how much LSU meant to his career, and on the eve of the NFL Draft, he’s paying tribute one more time.
The LSU football account shared a message from Burrow, the likely first overall pick in the draft, thanking the state of Louisiana one more time.
The billboard even shows the Cajun version of Burrow’s jersey that he debuted at his Senior Night.
An unheralded transfer quarterback, Burrow became the Heisman Trophy winner with the Tigers and won a national title as well. The fans in Baton Rouge love him as much as he loves them, and they should be bursting with pride when he goes No. 1 on Thursday.
The Cincinnati Bengals have yet to come out and say they are going to select Joe Burrow with the top overall pick in Thursday’s NFL Draft, but teams that call to inquire about trading for the pick are apparently wasting their time.
The Bengals fielded some calls from teams who were interested in the No. 1 pick back in February and March, but ESPN’s Dianna Russini reports that they are no longer entertaining offers. One team source said Cincinnati executives might as well “turn our ringers off on our phones.”
Russini added that the Bengals are waiting to announce the pick because they want to give Burrow his moment in the spotlight during the draft.
There was some talk recently that one team could try to overwhelm Cincinnati with an offer for the No. 1 overall pick, but that seems highly unlikely. Burrow is the best quarterback available, and the Bengals are in desperate need of a franchise QB.
The draft could get more interesting after the Bengals take Burrow, as the Washington Redskins are reportedly entertaining offers for the second overall pick.
Joe Burrow is being counseled by someone who knows a thing or two about the pressure that comes with being a top NFL draft pick.
Ryan Leaf said Monday he had met with Burrow, and came away very impressed with the LSU quarterback’s readiness to deal with the pressures of the NFL.
“I’ve been with a lot of quarterbacks and I can tell you this … there’s a certain level of quarterback that understands they want to learn from everybody and everything, from people who have been there, who have not necessarily been successful, who have been successful reach out to them,” Leaf said on ESPN, via Garrett Stepien of 247 Sports. “And I really could tell that with him, exactly what this is, and told him about my story and everything that kind of transpired — what it took to get here and what I needed to do when I got to this point that I didn’t. And he was very receptive. He took notes. We had a good chat about it.”
Leaf called Burrow “the best pick in the draft” and said he was “as mentally tough as anybody.”
Leaf has come to terms with his own NFL failures, and is clearly interested in keeping other quarterbacks from following in his footsteps. He clearly thinks Burrow is ready and worth the top pick, and the Bengals seem to agree.
The Cincinnati Bengals have been on the clock for the NFL Draft since the conclusion of the 2019 season, and it seems all but certain that they are going to select former LSU star Joe Burrow with the No. 1 overall pick. However, nothing is official until the draft card has been submitted, and the Miami Dolphins could make an aggressive push to move up to first overall at some point in the next several days.
The Dolphins have three first-round picks — No.’s 5, 18 and 26 — in the upcoming draft, and Ben Volin of The Boston Globe believes there is at least a “small chance” they could overwhelm the Bengals with an offer for the top overall pick before Thursday. Miami has been desperate to find stability at quarterback since the Dan Marino era, and Cincinnati could still end up with one of the top QBs in the draft even if they make a trade with the Dolphins. If the Bengals believe in Tagovailoa’s upside and aren’t overly concerned about his health, a deal with the Dolphins might make sense.
Still, it is very unlikely. The Bengals have given no indication that they are open to trading the top overall pick, and it has been assumed for months that they are going to take Burrow. There was some chatter in February that Burrow could pull an “Eli Manning” and refuse to play for Cincy, but Burrow has said he will gladly play for whichever team drafts him and seems to have had a positive meeting with the Bengals’ brass a few weeks ago.
Tagovailoa’s rising stock adds another element of intrigue to the draft. Had it not been for the hip injury he suffered that required surgery, the former Alabama star would have had just as much of a chance as Burrow to go No. 1 overall. We have heard some rumblings that another team could make a big move up the board for him, so all options appear to still be on the table.
2019 was a big year for quarterbacks in the NFL Draft, and 2020 is similar.
Four quarterbacks may go in the first round of the draft, with a handful of others waiting behind them to potentially go on the second day. Young franchise quarterbacks are the dream for teams who don’t already have one, and this year is not expected to be any different.
Here are rankings of the seven best quarterbacks in the class of 2020.
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Teams are doing their homework for the virtual NFL Draft at the end of April and trying to figure out which players best suit their needs. While this is certainly a strong draft for defensive players, there’s plenty of talent on the offensive side of the ball as well. If you’re in need of a wide receiver or offensive lineman, this is a draft rich in talent at both of those positions, but that’s not all.
Here are the five best offensive players in the 2020 NFL Draft.
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Mike Brown apparently is trying to make his best impression on Joe Burrow to make sure his future franchise quarterback is satisfied.
NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport reported on Monday that the Cincinnati Bengals owner met with Burrow at the NFL Scouting Combine. Rapoport says that is not unusual, but Brown’s aim was to address any concern Burrow may have had about playing for the Bengals.
“Brown wanted to be the one to address any concerns that Burrow may have had. He wanted to be the one to talk to the top prospect, lay everything out, and make sure Burrow had all the information to make whatever decision would be necessary,” Rapoport said.
Rapoport also noted that the Bengals then uncharacteristically spent money in free agency. They paid players like D.J. Reader, Trae Wayans, and Xavier Su’a-Filo.
There was some chatter in February that Burrow could pull an “Eli Manning” and refuse to play for the Bengals. But it seems like the two sides got on the same page. All in all, Burrow’s interview with the Bengals was said to have gone well.
Burrow is expected to become the No. 1 pick in the draft, which will be held April 23-25.
