2020 NFL Draft: Joe Burrow will carry hopes of entire Bengals fanbase

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NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – JANUARY 13: Head coach Ed Orgeron of the LSU Tigers, Joe Burrow #9 of the LSU Tigers and Grant Delpit #7 of the LSU Tigers celebrate with the trophy after defeating the Clemson Tigers 42-25 in the College Football Playoff National Championship game at Mercedes Benz Superdome on January 13, 2020 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Is he on his way to the Bengals? (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /

The Cincinnati Bengals haven’t been a successful franchise for a long time, but fans hope Joe Burrow can change all of that.

It could be the script to a movie, complete with a Hollywood ending. Our hero, his mission unbelievably accomplished, leans back and gives a smile as the screen fades to black and the credits roll. It’s the kind of thing that would probably get rejected these days. It’s not realistic enough. Don’t tell that to Joe Burrow, though.

As Burrow sat after the National Championship game, surrounded by the smoke of some not-so-legally-smoked cigars, it’s easy to imagine him reflecting on how far he’s come. A once highly sought recruit, he found himself buried on one depth chart, so he transferred to LSU. There, he shocked a nation by having one of the greatest seasons a college quarterback has ever had en route to a championship. Next stop, the number one pick in the NFL Draft.

Sticking with the Hollywood metaphor, coming into 2019, Burrow was a side character in a movie set to star Chase Young, Tua Tagovailoa, and Trevor Lawrence. They dominated early headlines, and with good reason. By the end of the year, however, they were mostly afterthoughts to what LSU’s star player was doing. He became the biggest story in college football, is set to star in the sequel next fall.

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