Joe Burrow will break the rookie touchdown record and win Rookie of the Year
The biggest story heading into the 2020 season is Joe Burrow. After potentially the greatest season in college football history, the kid from Athens was selected with the first overall pick in the draft by the Bengals. Being the first player taken, Burrow is expected to do big things right away. If his 2019 season showed us anything, it was not to bet against him.
Burrow will have a loaded group of receivers to pass the ball to in 2020. Whether he’s passing to one of his many receivers in A.J. Green, Tyler Boyd, Tee Higgins, John Ross, and Auden Tate, or throwing to one of his dynamic running backs in Joe Mixon and Giovani Bernard, there are plenty of options for the rookie to distribute the ball to. This is as good a group of weapons as a rookie could ask for. Considered one of the most pro-ready draft prospects ever, Burrow is the perfect guy to step in and make waves during his first season in the NFL.
As the NFL becomes more and more pass-heavy, records are being broken more and more frequently. Baker Mayfield broke the rookie passing touchdown record in 2018, racking up 27 touchdowns in what wasn’t even a full season of play. In 2019, Daniel Jones came close with 24 in only 12 games as a starter. With a dangerous group of weapons, Burrow is a prime candidate to break Mayfield’s record. In 2020, expect Burrow to narrowly beat the record.
If Burrow were to break the rookie touchdown record, he would be a no-brainer for the Rookie of the Year award. He would be the first Cincinnati Bengal to hold the honor since Carl Pickens in 1992. The impact that such a strong rookie campaign from Burrow would have is enormous, both for the upcoming season and the years to follow.