The NFL draft is a few weeks away (April 23rd) and are Bengals are on the clock. 99.9% (similar to Germ-X) of people believe Cincinnati will be selecting LSU Quarterback Joe Burrow with the No. 1 pick.
The pick makes way too much sense not too. Burrow is an Ohio native who had one of the best college football seasons of any quarterback ever going 16-0 and winning a National Championship for the Tigers.
Quick History Lesson:
32 Quarterbacks have been selected with the No. 1 pick. Of that group, 16 have reached Divisional Championships (39 total) and only 10 have won Super Bowls (20 total). That’s ultimately 31% a third of Quarterbacks reaching the super bowl.
In the last decade, four of the last seven Quarterbacks drafted number one overall have reached divisional championships with just two reaching Superbowls (neither one) which dips to just 28%. So is the glass half full or half empty?
That’s where I think you have to dive deeper and look at the team. Since 1968 (their first season) the Bengals are 359-441-4 with a 5-14 postseason record. Cincinnati hasn’t reached the postseason since 2015 and their last playoff win was 1990: ouch. That’s the glass half empty.
The glass half full is Cincinnati has reached the postseason five of their last nine seasons so that talent has been there but playoff success has been hard to come by despite having talents like receivers All-Pro A.J. Green and Tyler Boyd, defensive lineman Geno Atkins and Carlos Dunlap and running back Joe Mixon. Could drafting Burrow be similar to the Chiefs when they drafted Patrick Mahomes?
Already having All-Pro tight end Travis Kelce, speedster Tyreek Hill and Left Tackle Eric Fisher, the Chiefs needed a quarterback to take them further than conseminte professional Alex Smith (having won just a single playoff game since 1993). In the 2017 NFL Draft, Kansas City traded up to draft Mahomes and two seasons later they won the Super Bowl.
Now the Bengals have acquired several solid players in the offseason including safety Vonn Bell (of the Saints), cornerbacks Trae Waynes and Mackensie Alexander (of the Vikings) and defensive end D.J. Reader (of the Texans). Cincinnati still has several holes to fill (linebacker, offensive line, edge rusher) but Burrow could be the answer to the Bengals quarterback/playoff woes.
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