Why the Cincinnati Bengals might be willing to pass on Joe Burrow

Would the Cincinnati Bengals really pass on LSU football’s Joe Burrow?

Before we get too far into this, let me make one thing clear — I fully expect the Cincinnati Bengals to select LSU’s Joe Burrow with the top overall selection in the 2020 NFL Draft.

But just because that’s what I expect to happen, doesn’t mean it will 100 percent will happen.

In fact, there are some recent rumors that Cincinnati could have wandering eyes when it comes to quarterbacks they’re interested in drafting.

NBC Sports’ Peter King recently said on the Pat McAfee Show that there are some folks inside the Bengals building who really like Oregon quarterback Justin Herbert.

Now, I don’t think anyone in Cincinnati is going to convince Bengals owner Mike Brown that the franchise should take Herbert with the first overall pick. There’s absolutely no way that happens.

However, it’s certainly possible that Cincinnati likes Herbert enough that they could trade the first overall pick to the Miami Dolphins (who are very interested in trading up).

The Dolphins have three first round picks and they desperately want to draft Burrow. At this point, it seems like the Bengals could name their price for the first pick. If Cincinnati really likes Herbert, they could demand three first round picks from Miami for the first overall pick.

One of the Dolphins’ selections is the No. 5 overall pick.

That means the Bengals would likely be able to get Herbert, a quarterback they like at No. 5, and still have two first round picks to play with.

Of course, this is all dependent on how much the Bengals like Herbert. It’s hard to imagine that the general consensus in Cincinnati’s front office will be that they like him to the same extent they like Burrow.

At the end of the day, the Bengals can’t go wrong by drafting Burrow. That’s why I think they’d be wise to avoid making any deals that involve the first overall pick.

But if these rumors from Peter King are true, it’s definitely possible that Cincinnati is at least entertaining the idea.