Cincinnati Bengals

There is a lot of anticipation surrounding the rookie campaign of No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, Joe Burrow. There’s always an adjustment period required for even the best of quarterback prospects when entering the NFL level. Being 23-years-old, he’s older than the typical prospect, so will he succeed more quickly with the Cincinnati Bengals?

To finish his collegiate career, Burrow put together a truly historic performance. He completed 76.3% of his 527 pass attempts resulting in 5,671 yards, 60 touchdowns, and six interceptions. All of this was en route to winning the College Football Playoff National Championship.

There are some intriguing weapons will have to work with in the Bengal’s offense from the jump. It starts with the versatile Joe Mixon in the backfield and there’s some outlook for the receiving corps with A.J. Green, Tyler Boyd, and Tee Higgins to exceed expectations.

The ESPN projection for Burrow in his rookie season is that he will complete 328-of-528 (62.1%) pass attempts for 3,695 yards, 20 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions. That would be a solid foundation for the elite prospect to build on heading into his sophomore campaign with the Bengals.

The AFC North features plenty of difficult defenses to go up against and that could translate to some struggles for Burrow. It wouldn’t be surprising to see him underwhelm with the Bengals to an extent in relation to the lofty expectations many have for his immediate production.