LSU’s commanding victory against Clemson to take the National Championship left everyone watching with the feeling that LSU quarterback Joe Burrow is the real deal. In LSU’s playoff run, Burrow accounted for a total of 14 TD in two postseason games. Burrow is among a select few that won the Heisman and the National Championship in the same year. To add to his exploits, he also set the college football record with 60 touchdowns on the season.
Leading into the 2019 season, Burrow was seen in a very different light. Many draft experts projected the senior quarterback to be a fourth or fifth-round draft pick but with Burrows record-breaking season, he is now expected to be the first pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.
Burrow’s breakout season will go down as one of the greatest performances by any quarterback in the history of college football.
But is one season enough?
What Burrow has going for him: Most touchdown passes in a single season: 60, Most touchdowns responsible for in a single season: 65, Most passing yards in a BCS/CFP championship game: 463, Most touchdowns responsible for in a BCS/CFP championship game: 6.
With these record-breaking numbers and the fact that LSU played against five top ten teams and beat them all shows, Burrows statistics and records are against the best of the best.
The facts do not lie, Joe Burrow is worthy of the number one overall choice and the Cincinnati Bengals, who hold that first pick, should take Burrow since they are in need of a quarterback. But the Bengals are also in the pole position to make a move. Their draft history shows that they usually take the picks they are given and rarely try to make a move, but with their 2019 record of 2-14, they potentially may get an offer they could not refuse.
The Carolina Panthers are a team that may sell the farm to get Burrow. David Tepper, in his second season as owner of the Carolina Panthers, wants to make a statement. He fired Head Coach Ron Rivera and hired new Head Coach Matt Rule. The former staff was all let go and the latest addition to the Panthers coaching staff is Joe Brady, the former LSU offensive guru who just led Joe Burrow to a Heisman and a national championship. The Panthers may want to continue the chemistry between Brady and Burrow.
They only way I think to get the Bengals to bight is to offer them quarterback Cam Newton who is fresh off of injury and is looking to be back to his peak self and last year’s first-round draft pick linebacker/pass rusher Brian Burns. The 6’5” rookie had 7.5 sacks on the season last year. He would make an immediate impact on the Cincinnati defense that was ranked 31st in the league last year. The Panther may also throw in their 5th and 6th round draft picks.
Burrow is an accurate down the field passer who will pick up right where he left off with Joe Brady. Newton is a former NFL MVP but has always been criticized for his lack of accuracy, and in Joe Brady’s offense, Newton will struggle to thrive in these heavy passing schemes. Newton has always thrived as a scrambler making things happen with his legs.
The addition of Burrow to the Panthers with his number one weapon Christian McCaffery seems like a match made in heaven for the Panthers offense. But the Ohio native going back to his home state to play in Cincinnati to revive a program that has never won a Superbowl seems to make too much sense for the Bengals.
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