To no one's surprise, the Cincinnati Bengals took LSU quarterback Joe Burrow with the No. 1 overall pick of the NFL Draft last Thursday.
But the Bengals aren't LSU.
While Burrow led the Tigers to a national championship this past season, Cincinnati went just 2-14, good for the worst mark in the NFL. The Bengals have also missed the playoffs five years in a row and have not won a postseason game since the 1990-91 campaign.
Making things even more complicated is the fact that NFL teams can't physically practice right now, as there will not be any organized team activities or minicamps due to COVID-19.
Bengals head coach Zac Taylor spoke on the challenges that could present Burrow going into next season:
”I don’t think schematically there’s gonna be anything that’s overly concerning with him,” Taylor said, according to Peter King of NBC Sports. “It’s just the physical reps of playing against the speed in the NFL. And the different defenses you’ll face and the disguises that those guys can utilize. As smart as you are, sometimes you just need those physical reps.”
Again, Burrow won't be getting those physical reps any time in the very near future, so it remains to be seen whether or not that has an adverse effect on the 23-year-old going into his rookie campaign.
The good news for Burrow is that he will actually have a decent array of weapons in Cincy. The Bengals already had A.J. Green and Tyler Boyd at wide receiver and also drafted fellow wideout Tee Higgins in the second round last Friday.
In addition, Cincinnati has Joe Mixon in the backfield.
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