How Joe Burrow stacks up against the last five quarterbacks picked first overall

Of the last five quarterbacks selected first overall, Kyler Murray of the Arizona Cardinals is the most intriguing and possibly the most talented. After a disastrous preseason to kick off his rookie season, the Heisman Trophy winner from Oklahoma could end up being the best of them all, Joe Burrow included.

Go easy fans. It is very possible that Murray is the kind of generational talent Bengals fans see twice a season with Lamar Jackson. Both have intangibles that measure through the roof. Both are a dual-threat that keeps defenses of balance, and both can change a game in one single play. Burrow is a lot of things, but fans would be hard pressed to say he is on par with Jackson, and as far as sheer talent and potential goes, no where near Murray.

One last thing, as good as Burrow may ultimately be, he doesn’t possess the talents quarterbacks like Jackson and Murray possess. In today’s NFL, the hybrid type of quarterback that Murray is, the type that Jackson and especially Patrick Mahomes are, is different that Burrow. That’s not a bad thing, and it isn’t to suggest that the Cincinnati Bengals aren’t exponentially better with Burrow under center than with Andy Dalton.

All that said, of the talent that exists in the selections of players like Andrew Luck, Jameis Winston, Jared Goff, Baker Mayfield, and Kyler Murray, Joe Burrow will be reasonably compared. While he matches up well with some, and not so well with others, he does bring a certain swag Cincinnati desperately needs, and that is something all five brought to their respective teams.

Of the five, Goff may ultimately be the best comparison based on the circumstances that Burrow will inherit and the parallels that could exist with both the Rams and the Bengals. That’s not to suggest that Cincinnati is in the Super Bowl in three years or that they are a lock for a massive turnaround. It does suggest, however, that the early career arcs could be similar for Goff and Burrow, and possibly, their respective franchises.

Burrow isn’t likely to be on par with Andrew Luck, but is sure to be better than both Jameis Winston and probably Baker Mayfield. Addtionally, he does not have the kind of transcendent talent of Kyler Murray. However, and with all of that said, Jared Goff and Joe Burrow, the Rams and Bengals may ultimately yield similarities that become obvious in the next three to five years. Based on the history in Los Angeles, fans in the Cincinnati could be very happy.