The Cincinnati Bengals nailed it when they selected quarterback Joe Burrow with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. Since his selection, Burrow quickly established himself as one of the best QBs in the entire NFL, and he led the team to a Super Bowl berth in just his second season in the league.
Last season, Burrow led the league in completions, passing yards and touchdowns and he was a finalist for the MVP award, which he might have won had the Bengals been better as a team. So, it's safe to say that Burrow wasn't a bust. In fact, he was the opposite: An ideal selection at the top of the draft, and one of the best No. 1 overall selections in recent memory.
Joe Burrow ranked as the fourth-best No. 1 overall draft pick since 2000
With the 2025 draft rapidly approaching, Bryan DeArdo of CBS Sports ranked every top pick in the draft from the past quarter-century, and Burrow received a pretty favorable ranking. No, he wasn't the top No. 1 overall pick on the list, but he did finish in the top five: No. 4 to be exact. Ahead of Burrow on the list are Eli Manning, Matthew Stafford and Cam Newton.
From DeArdo:
"Sure, he hasn't won a Super Bowl or a league MVP (he finished fourth in the voting last year behind winner Josh Allen), but Burrow has done just about everything else a player can do and has more than justified his status as a former No. 1 overall pick. A Super Bowl win would likely leapfrog him ahead of the only three players that are currently ahead of him on this list."
Manning led the New York Giants to two Super Bowl wins during his time with the team, so it makes sense why he would land the top spot on the list. Similarly, Stafford also won a Super Bowl, albeit not with the team that drafted him. Newton also put together a very productive career, but when all is said and done, Burrow will likely have the more impressive resume.
Ironically enough, Burrow placed directly ahead of Carson Palmer on the list, who Cincinnati selected with the top overall pick in the 2003 draft. Palmer became a Pro Bowl player for the Bengals, but he was unfortunately never able to achieve any postseason success, due in part to injury issues.
But, the fact that the Bengals have made two of the five best No. 1 overall picks since 2000 is impressive nonetheless, and shows that they've been pretty good at identifying QB talent at the top of the draft.