The 2020 NFL Draft is only a day away and football fans are ready for the fully-virtual draft to finally kick off. The Cincinnati Bengals hold the most coveted pick in years with an opportunity to draft Joe Burrow, but don’t expect them to trade it when the draft officially starts on Thursday.
According to ESPN’s Dianna Russini, the Bengals aren’t even pretending to entertain offers from other teams for the No. 1 pick. Cincinnati’s front office seemed open to trading the opportunity to draft Burrow if the right offer came along, it isn’t picking up the phone anymore.
The Bengals have loved Burrow for months, viewing him as the future face of their franchise. It’s part of the reason they placed the franchise tag on star receiver A.J. Green and spent aggressively in free agency. The front office went into the offseason knowing it had the franchise quarterback it desired sitting there with the No. 1 overall pick and it spent the money in free agency to build a stronger team around him.
While the Miami Dolphins were always interested in moving up for Burrow, the cost likely ended their pursuit early. Instead of giving up three first-round picks for Burrow, Miami will likely stand pat with the No. 5 overall selection and take whichever quarterback falls to them. Of course, the possibility also exists for the Dolphins to even pass on a quarterback with their first selection.
Burrow entered 2019 as a projected Day 3 draft pick with little hype around him entering his final season at LSU. Everything changed during a historic season that saw him break multiple NCAA single-season passing records, take home the Heisman Trophy in a record margin and winning a national championship. On Thursday, he’ll add to an incredible list of accomplishments by becoming the No. 1 overall pick.
Given the Washington Redskins are widely expected to draft Chase Young with the No. 2 overall pick, the intrigue for the 2020 NFL Draft will start with the Detroit Lions and the No. 3 overall selection. Detroit would love to trade down with a team targeting a quarterback, but they likely have their eye on a certain defender if they stay put.