Were the NFL to run the 2020 draft again with the benefit of hindsight, the Cincinnati Bengals would likely still sprint to the podium and take Joe Burrow at No. 1.
But not in all re-drafts.
One such exercise has the Bengals actually passing on Burrow in favor of Justin Herbert, with CBS Sports’ Chris Trapasso writing the following: “The Offensive Rookie of the Year lands in Cincinnati. His All-Pro upside is too enticing for him not to be the top pick.”
In the linked scenario, Burrow ends up falling to fifth, where the Miami Dolphins make him the pick. Tua Tagovailoa falls to ninth with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The notion the Bengals would pass on Burrow isn’t likely to be a popular one for fans. In fact, ESPN did a re-draft too and still had the Bengals picking him, though they did end up missing on Tee Higgins because the rookie wideout was such a breakout star.
To be fair to Herbert, he was electric as a rookie and flashed plenty of upside while throwing 31 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. But had Burrow not suffered a season-ending injury, he would have been right there in the OROY conversation, especially with his clear upswing as the season progressed.
Either way, we’ll have plenty of fun Burrow vs. Herbert conversations in the future given how great both looked.
