2020 NFL Draft: Why Joe Burrow is more than a one-hit wonder

The Brains and Psyche of Burrow

Joe Burrow is not the most physically gifted quarterback in the class, but he makes up for it in many ways. He has very good pre and post-snap awareness to identify defensive coverages knowing where to attack.

His ability to identify blitzes is impressive while also being able to adjust his timing speeding up his progressions to get the ball out quicker. In LSU’s new modern spread offense, Burrow does a great job of identifying favorable matchups pre-snap and does a great job taking advantage of making quick decisions.

Watching Burrow, it’s impossible not to notice how calm and collective he plays within the pocket. Even when the pocket collapses or defensive ends get lose, Burrow is phenomenal, keeping his feet quiet and eyes downfield while navigating the pocket or breaking outside. All while holding two hands on the football.

Poise in the pocket while under pressure is extremely valuable at quarterback, as it’s not usually something that can be developed. He’s not the most athletic quarterback, but athletic enough to run if he needs to force defenses to respect it.