Advertisement

NFL draft: With shot at Joe Burrow, Bengals reportedly don't intend to trade No. 1 pick

Just because LSU QB Joe Burrow won’t be attending the Senior Bowl, where the Cincinnati Bengals staff will be coaching this week, doesn’t mean that they’re not drafting the Heisman Trophy and national-title winner.

According to an ESPN report, the Bengals “have no intention” of dealing the top pick in the 2020 NFL draft. All signs continue to point to Burrow as their likely choice at No. 1.

There was speculation that the Carolina Panthers could be loading up for a shot at Burrow after signing Joe Brady, his former coach at LSU, as their offensive coordinator. The Miami Dolphins also have a boatload of draft picks they potentially could offer to move for a quarterback.

It doesn’t seem like the Bengals are budging on the Ohio-born Burrow. He grew up in Athens, Ohio — about a three-hour drive from Cincinnati — and started his career at Ohio State before transferring to LSU, where he went from a solid QB in 2018 to turning in perhaps the greatest season ever by a college quarterback.

LSU's Joe Burrow might be the pick with news that the Cincinnati Bengals don't plan to trade the top pick in the 2020 NFL draft. (Photo by Alika Jenner/Getty Images)
LSU's Joe Burrow might be the pick with news that the Cincinnati Bengals don't plan to trade the top pick in the 2020 NFL draft. (Photo by Alika Jenner/Getty Images)

Last week, Burrow’s father, Jimmy Burrow, told TSN 690 radio in Montreal that Burrow would enjoy playing for the Bengals. It’s starting to feel like you can cement in the first overall pick in your mock drafts.

Andy Dalton is still under contract for the Bengals, but they can move on from him without any dead money counting against the salary cap in 2020. Dalton threw for the fourth-most yards (3,494) in his nine-year career despite being benched for a three-game span last season, but he also had the lowest completion percentage (59.5) since his rookie season of 2011.

The Bengals know plenty about Burrow. Head coach Zac Taylor was once the starting quarterback at Nebraska, where Burrow’s two older brothers played in college. The Bengals also have a former LSU assistant on staff who coached Burrow in 2018. Brad Kragthorpe was an offensive assistant for the Tigers last season (after playing quarterback there in 2016 and 2017) and spent last season on Taylor’s staff as an offensive assistant.

More from Yahoo Sports: