As the Cincinnati Bengals sit on a bye, the 2020 NFL draft outlook is clear — quarterback.
Unless rookie Ryan Finley flashes enough to change the entire trajectory of the franchise while Andy Dalton watches from the sidelines, the question isn’t necessarily about which position, but which passer.
And two names remain at the forefront: LSU’s Joe Burrow and Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa.
For Luke Easterling of Draft Wire, Burrow has jumped past Tagovailoa as the top pick in the draft if the Bengals pick first:
For the longest time now, it’s seemed Tua Tagovailoa was written into this spot with permanent marker. But Burrow’s performance so far this season has launched him into the No. 1 overall conversation, while another high-ankle injury has dinged Tagovailoa’s stock. Don’t be shocked if there’s a different QB in the top spot come next April.
The Bengals can’t really go wrong either way if they do end up picking first overall. With either passer, new head coach Zac Taylor gets a high-upside prospect at the most important position in the sport.
Tagovailoa has big upside but the recent injury issues and Burrow has only recently ascended into this realm after making a big leap this year. But poking holes in their respective skill sets from a pro outlook, at least for now, ends there.
If Burrow ends up being the pick, the Bengals get an Ohio native who stands at 6’4″ and 216 pounds who has completed 78.8 percent of his passes with 30 touchdowns against just four interceptions so far.
The Bengals have eight games remaining and the draft process is hardly in its infancy, but it’s easy to see these two prospects will keep going back and forth at the top of mocks.
