Bengals: Mock drafts continue to trend toward Joe Burrow
By Steve Rivera
With the 2020 NFL Draft only a few weeks away, mock drafts continue to show Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals, an absolute lock, despite those few offering a different point of view.
As mock drafts, mercifully, look to be nearing an end, the one constant is Joe Burrow being selected first but the Cincinnati Bengals. No drama is likely to be part of the first pick, even as a few might venture outside the groupthink and wonder why not go a different direction.
Laugh if you will, but there is some logic to exploring options. That said, while the Miami Dolphins will likely make a run at Burrow, and the NFL Network’s Maurice Jones-Drew tosses another name into the conversation, fans in the Queen City likely have nothing to worry about.
As for Jones-Drew, he simply offers a reasoned explanation as to why the Bengals would be better served with Oregon quarterback Justin Herbert.
Jones-Drew explained that Herbert is “an AFC North-style quarterback with a big frame and strong arm to lead the Bengals in bad weather late in the season.” Jones-Drew has Burrow going fifth to the Dolphins, saying the Heisman Trophy winner “fits perfectly into what the Dolphins want to do offensively.”
That may be so, however trying to sell anyone other than Burrow to a fanbase stuck on the LSU product is an absolute no-go. In fact, finding a mock draft that has another name at the top is tough. Finding one that comes from a Bengals fan site or local Cincinnati media is impossible.
Right or wrong, logical or not, Burrow is all but a done deal in Cincinnati. Miami will make their pitch, be rebuffed, and the Bengals will get the one season standout from LSU, come hell or high water.
dark. Next. Is there a possibility of no football in 2020?
As for the incessant number of mock drafts that offer little to no creative or reasonable thinking, those too shall end in three weeks. That’s a good thing. With little independent thought often incorporated in them, the draft will be a pleasant diversion if for no other reason as it changes the subject, and closes the book on a foregone conclusion.