Joe Burrow’s numbers against top competition are elite

Former LSU quarterback Joe Burrow is expected to be the top selection in the 2020 NFL Draft.

There shouldn’t be much doubt at this point that former LSU quarterback Joe Burrow is the top prospect in the 2020 NFL Draft.

Burrow had an unbelievable 2019 season for the Tigers. He passed for over 5,600 yards while throwing 60 touchdowns against only six interceptions.

Those are ridiculous numbers. They’re even more ridiculous when you consider that Burrow was playing in the SEC — arguably the best conference in college football (that’s obviously subjective, but I think the majority would agree that the SEC has the most talent).

Somehow, though, there are still some draft pundits that believe Burrow isn’t the best quarterback in the 2020 NFL Draft.

ESPN’s Todd McShay, for example, said last mont that he believes Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is better than Burrow.

Don’t get me wrong, I think Tua is great. And heading into the 2019 season, I thought he would end the season as the consensus best player in college football. But injuries, and the emergence of Burrow, changed my perception.

I’m not sure Tua can stay healthy. And even if health wasn’t an issue, I still don’t think he’s better against great teams than Burrow.

That’s because Burrow wasn’t just terrific against bad competition — he was great against everyone. Burrow’s numbers against top 10 teams in his career (as a starter) are completely insane.

Against top 10 teams, Burrow went 11-1, completed over 66 percent of his passes, averaged over 328 yards per game and threw only four interceptions.

Think about that for a minute. Burrow started 12 games against top 10 teams and threw four total interceptions.

I’ve seen plenty of quarterbacks surpass that in one game against non-top 25 teams.

Now, it’s not like Tua’s numbers against top 10 competition were bad. They were also good. But they weren’t nearly as good as Burrow’s.

Burrow’s final two collegiate games were in the College Football Playoff against Oklahoma and Clemson.

In those two games, the biggest of his life to that point, Burrow passed for 956 yards, 12 touchdowns and 0 interceptions.

Clemson, by the way, had the No. 3 scoring defense in the nation in 2019. Burrow was nearly perfect against one of the top defenses in college football.

There’s simply no way around it — Burrow is the best player in the 2020 NFL Draft. That doesn’t devalue the talent of Tua, Justin Herbert or any other quarterback in the draft. That’s just how much Burrow separated himself from the others in 2019.

Burrow has everything a NFL team could want — a history of production, confidence, swagger and unreal leadership.

The Cincinnati Bengals are going to get a once-in-a-lifetime player with the top selection in the 2020 NFL Draft. Their fans should be incredibly stoked.