THE CINCINNATI BENGALS have picked quarterback Joe Burrow with the first pick of this season’s NFL Draft.
The draft was due to be held in Las Vegas, but took place virtually owing to the coronavirus with teams sending their picks to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, who announced them from his basement.
The three-day event is the second biggest on the NFL calendar – after the Super Bowl – as the 32 teams select 255 newly eligible players.
Burrow won the Heisman Trophy as the best player in NCAA football in 2019, with previous winners including Lamar Jackson, Cam Newton and Marcus Mariota.
The Bengals had the first pick after recording the league’s worst record of 2-14 in 2019 and Burrow was widely tipped to be the first pick.
“Nobody’s allowed to make fun of me tonight none of the barbershops are open,” he tweeted before the draft began.
Watching from his family home in Athens County, Ohio, the former LSU player watched Goodell announce his name and donned the cap for his new team.
He told ESPN: “I knew I was going to have a really good season … but to jump up to No. 1 overall is crazy to me. But it’s a dream come true.”
Two Ohio State players went in the second and third picks, with Chase Young and Jeff Okudah heading to the Washington Redskins and Detroit Lions respectively.
Offensive tackle Andrew Thomas was brought in to shore up the New York Giants’ protection for their quarterback Daniel Jones with the fourth pick, while quarterbacks Tua Tagovailoa and Justin Herbert were picked next for the Miami Dolphins and Los Angeles Chargers.
Four quarterbacks were drafted in the first round, six wide receivers, one running back, one centre and six offensive tackles.
On the defensive side, two defensive ends were drafted, two defensive tackles, four linebackers, and six cornerbacks.
The Bengals will start the second round of the draft on Saturday.
Poor bugger having to play with the Bengals. My favourite team for over 30 years, but they’re God awful.
@Marcus Massey: I’m not really familiar with how drafts work. Could he not reject their advances and wait for another team to offer him a contract?
@Munsterman: He’d have to sit out the year and re-enter next year’s draft. Very little way of manipulating the draft process unless you go down the Elway or Eli Manning route and just flat out tell a team you won’t play for them before the draft
@Marcus Massey: Bengals actually have a good team around him to work with
@Marcus Massey: and I thought I was the only long suffering Bengals fan in Ireland!
@Declan Clancy: no, you’re not. I know 1 other. Oh the suffering. Even the good years are shit.
@Marcus Massey: I’m a Bengal too. I know another one aswell, so theres at least 5 of us Aldo Marcus your initial comment is very harsh
@Morgan: also a Bengals fan here…..decided in 2010 to pick a random team. I got the Bengals….could not have picked worse but can’t change now.
Does anyone who follows the sport know if Jake Fromm has been selected by a team yet?
Followed him on QB1 and heard he was leaving uni early for the NFL.
@Aaron Tynan: no not yet may be a while till he is
@Gerard Ryan: he will go in the 3rd or 4th round
@Rossielover: Maybe hes just a backup in NFL
@Aaron Tynan: They’ve finished 3 rounds of picks and he hasn’t been selected yet. The last 4 rounds happen today (Saturday). He’s projected to go in round 4 and be a backup somewhere with a 50/50 chance of a career in the game. From QB1 he seemed a sound lad I thought so here’s hoping he makes it somewhere!
@Aaron Tynan: Bills
Fifth round to the Bills.
Good QB but deemed small for an NFL QB, and doesn’t have great arm strength. Drew Brees combined both of these trails into a hall of Fame career.
Buffalo mightn’t be a bad landing spot for him, with time to learn behind Josh Allen before getting thrown in at the deep end. For the Bills they get a good QB for a relatively low draft pick