Joe Burrow the clear choice for Bengals come NFL Draft

The Cincinnati Bengals can posture all they like. Come the NFL Draft, Joe Burrow will be walking across the stage as the No. 1 overall pick, headed to the Queen City.

Cincinnati hasn’t taken a quarterback in the first round since 2003, ironically enough the last time it held the draft’s top pick. This year, Burrow is the consensus choice atop his rookie crop, having won the Heisman Trophy and National Championship with the LSU Tigers, throwing a remarkable 60 touchdowns.

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While there will be constant chatter thrown out about whether the Bengals should consider offers should massive ones roll in, know this: if Cincinnati were to pass on Burrow and he became the superstar many believe he will, no amount of draft capital is erasing the permanent stain on the franchise.

The Bengals know this. Cincinnati, as FOX Sports insider Jay Glazer reported, would need to receive an offer beyond comprehension to make a deal.

After years of trying to make it work with Andy Dalton, it’s time to reset. This is the perfect moment.

The Bengals have been wandering the NFL wilderness for the better part of three decades. Their last playoff win was in 1990, an AFC Wild Card victory over the Houston Oilers at Riverfront Stadium. How long ago was that? The Oilers are now the Tennessee Titans, and Riverfront was renamed Synergy Field before being blown up back in 2002.

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After enduring a 2-14 season, Bengals fans might riot if they trade out of the top spot. Frankly, they’d be right to do so. Whether Burrow ends up being a bust or earning a bust remains to be seen, but willfully moving out and giving up on Burrow would be devastating to all of Who Dey Nation. This isn’t a fact lost on anybody in Cincinnati.

With three months until the draft, things will change. Players will move up and down the board, sometimes drastically. Someone’s medicals will become a major problem, while another player’s 40-time will vault them from a Day 3 pick into first-round conversations.

None of this applies to Burrow. Barring a major scandal, the former LSU quarterback will roll into the draft process with little pressure (if any) at the combine before handling his business in interviews with teams across the league.

For 31 teams, there’s intrigue about where they’ll eventually pick and who they’ll take. Then there’s the Bengals, who are locked in as can be.