LSU Football: Nick Saban makes prediction for Joe Burrow’s NFL career

Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban recently gave his thoughts on how former LSU football quarterback Joe Burrow will fare in the NFL.

Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban has probably coached more elite talent in the last 20 years than any other coach in college sports, so when he gives his opinion on LSU football’s Joe Burrow, it’s probably an opinion that you can take to the bank.

Saban recently gave an extensive breakdown of Burrow’s game to ESPN+.

Throughout the breakdown, Saban discussed Burrow’s great “next level decision making” and his ability to dissect defenses pre-snap.

Saban also gave some candid thoughts on Burrow and his future NFL career.

“I think Joe Burrow has great vision, does a good job with pre-snap reads and knowing where he needs to go with the ball”, said Saban during the ESPN+ breakdown.

Saban noted that Burrow’s ability to scramble puts a lot of pressure on defense, before finally declaring “Joe Burrow is going to have a fantastic career in the NFL”.

The legendary Alabama head coach was able to see Burrow’s abilities in person on two occasions.

In 2018, Burrow and LSU lost to Alabama 29-0. It was probably one of the worst games of Burrow’s career. The Tigers’ signal caller completed just 18-of-35 passes for 184 yards and one interception.

This past season, however, it was a completely different story. LSU went into Tuscaloosa and beat the Tide 46-41 (the game wasn’t as close as the final score indicated).

Burrow was fantastic against Alabama in 2019, completing 31-of-39 passes for 393 yards and three touchdowns. He also rushed the ball 14 times for 64 yards (Burrow also accumulated his only tackle of the season against Alabama, after a Tigers fumble, which isn’t really relevant, but fun to know nonetheless).

Saban was able to see Burrow’s entire skillset on display in Tuscaloosa last season, so it’s no surprise that he’s expecting a bright future for the young quarterback.

Of course, it’s not like Saban’s thoughts on Burrow are unique — nearly every draft analyst in the business is expecting Burrow to have a wildly successful NFL career.

But when you hear these thoughts from Saban — one of the best talent evaluators on earth — it gives the expectations placed on Burrow some legitimacy.

The Cincinnati Bengals’ franchise is about to turn around in a hurry with Burrow under center (assuming the Bengals don’t trade the pick, which I don’t see happening). I never thought I’d see a Bengals bandwagon, but I wouldn’t be shocked to see one form in the next couple of years.