2020 NFL Mock Draft: Bengals Confirm Top Pick
There have been a lot of questions regarding who the Cincinnati Bengals will take with their top pick.
Heading into the offseason, it seemed like the team was dead set on taking Heisman-winning LSU star Joe Burrow. On paper, it made sense.
The Bengals badly needed a quarterback to move on from the Andy Dalton Era, and Burrow spent the last year looking like a generational talent.
Over the past few weeks, some have suggested that Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa may be the better option. These folks say that Tagovailoa’s playing style is more akin to the one employed by Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl MVP, Patrick Mahomes.
They believe that Burrow’s playing style is the old way of playing in the NFL, and Tagovailoa’s is the future.
How accurate is that assessment? It is tough to say.
Recently, Matt Miller of the Bleacher Report suggested that the Bengals have “signaled” to Burrow that he will be their selection.
“According to a coach who worked with Burrow in college, Cincinnati has clearly signaled the former LSU quarterback is its choice without coming out and saying it,” he wrote.
“And that’s how the NFL wants it. There is an unwritten rule that teams not tip their hands as far as the top pick, as the league wants the drama and excitement of the selection’s announcement on live television.”
While Tagovailoa is certainly an intriguing option, there is also no denying that on paper Burrow looks like the far better candidate to go first overall.
Not only was he able to lead LSU to its first National Championship since 2007, but he also does not come with any of the injury baggage that accompanies Tagovailoa.
It is still possible that Cincinnati ultimately trades the top pick away in order to secure a larger haul to address the team’s many, many issues. But if the Bengals retain the top pick, there is no way the organization uses it on someone other than Burrow.
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A graduate from the University of Texas, Anthony Amador has been credentialed to cover the Houston Texans, Dallas Cowboys, San Antonio Spurs, Dallas Mavericks and high school games all over the Lone Star State. Currently, his primary beats are the NBA, MLB, NFL and UFC.
