UNDATED (AP) — Joe Burrow’s the one.
The Cincinnati Bengals have taken the LSU quarterback with the first selection in the NFL draft. It’s the third straight year in which the reigning Heisman Trophy winner was taken first overall in the draft.
Burrow just led the Tigers to the national championship in a record-setting season. He completed an outstanding 76.3% of his passes for 5,671 yards, 60 touchdowns and just six interceptions.
Burrow played his last two seasons at LSU after transferring from Ohio State. He joins a team that went 2-14 in 2019 under first-year head coach Zac Taylor. The Bengals scored 279 points last season, third worst in the league.
The Buckeyes produced the No. 2 second as defensive end Chase Young was taken by the Redskins. Young made life miserable for quarterbacks as a junior last season, recording 16 ½ sacks and 21 tackles for loss.
The Lions grabbed the highest-rated cornerback in this year’s draft by taking Ohio State All-American Jeff Okudah (oh-KOO’-duh) with the third selection. He is the highest-drafted cornerback since Shawn Springs was selected from the same school by Seattle in the 1997 draft.
The first offensive tackle in a strong group went off the board fourth overall when the Giants selected Georgia’s Andrew Thomas. He started 41 games for the Bulldogs in three seasons, the last 26 at left tackle.
The Dolphins took Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (TOO’-uh tuhng-ah-vy-LOH’-ah) with the fifth choice. Tagovailoa threw 76 touchdown passes in 24 starts the past two seasons, but a dislocated and fractured hip ended his 2019 season in mid-November.
Oregon’s Justin Herbert became the third quarterback selected, going sixth overall to the Chargers.
The Panthers selected Auburn defensive tackle Derrick Brown with the seventh selection.
Clemson linebacker Isaiah Simmons was taken by the Cardinals after he surprisingly fell to the No. 8 pick.
The Jaguars went for a cornerback with the ninth choice, taking Florida cornerback CJ Henderson.
The Browns used the 10th pick to take offensive tackle Jedrick Wills, who allowed one sack in 39 games for Alabama.
The Green Bay Packers have found a potential successor to Aaron Rodgers. And they were willing to trade up in the first round and bypass more immediate needs to land him.
Green Bay moved up four spots in the first round to take Utah State quarterback Jordan Love with the 26th overall pick in the NFL draft.
The move fortifies Green Bay’s quarterback depth and provides an heir apparent for Rodgers.
But it doesn’t provide immediate help for a team that wants to take the next step after going 13-3 and losing in the NFC championship game last year.
Denver Broncos general manager John Elway has finally drafted an Alabama player. Elway selected Crimson Tide wide receiver Jerry Jeudy with the 15th pick in the NFL draft. This is Elway’s 10th year in charge of the Broncos’ football operations and Jeudy is the 71st player he’s selected in that span. Jeudy joins Courtland Sutton on a very much improved offense in Denver that is led by second-year quarterback Drew Lock.
The Minnesota Vikings have taken LSU wide receiver Justin Jefferson with the 22nd overall pick in the NFL draft. They also traded down to select TCU cornerback Jeff Gladney with the 31st choice. The slot for Jefferson came from Buffalo in the trade that sent wide receiver Stefon Diggs to the Bills. Jefferson set a school record and led all FBS players with 111 receptions in 2019 for the national champions. The Vikings sent the 25th selection to San Francisco and moved down six spots for Gladney while gaining additional picks in the fourth and fifth round from the 49ers.
