According to Dianna Russini, the Bengals aren’t even pretending to entertain trade offers for the No. 1 pick anymore. “We could just turn our ringers off on our phones,” one source said.
Added another source, per Tyler Dragon: “We are taking [LSU QB] Joe Burrow. How could you not?”
This comes as absolutely zero surprise, as Burrow has been locked in as the No. 1 pick earlier than almost any No. 1 pick in history after completing one of the best college football seasons of all time and growing up in Ohio.
There was some speculation that Burrow might not want to play for the Bengals organization but he put that rumor to bed at the NFL Scouting Combine.
“I’m not going to not play. I’m a ballplayer. I’m going to show up,” Burrow said via Adam Schefter.
Burrow added he was just trying not to be “presumptuous” about being the No. 1 overall pick by not dousing the rumors sooner (Adam Beasley), but the media “kind of took that narrative and ran with it.”
“There has never been anything like that from my end,” Burrow said via Paul Dehner Jr.
Not that it was ever in any doubt, but this should just about officially end all suspense regarding Burrow being the No. 1 pick by the Bengals Thursday.
Burrow, 23, transferred to LSU to become the starter after three years at Ohio State. He had one of the best seasons for a quarterback in college football history in 2019, winning the Heisman, leading LSU to a national championship and cementing himself as a favorite for the first pick in the draft.
In 2019, Burrow completed 76.3 percent of his passes for 5,671 yards, 60 touchdowns and six interceptions in 15 games. He also ran 115 times for 368 yards and an additional five touchdowns.
Looking for the latest NFL Insider News & Rumors?
Be sure to follow NFL Trade Rumors on TWITTER and FACEBOOK for breaking NFL News and Rumors for all 32 teams!
