Bengals reiterate trading the top pick is unlikely

The Cincinnati Bengals are on the clock.

With just over two months till the NFL Draft that kicks off on April 23, the two-win Bengals will hear their name called and the player that they want with that first-overall pick taken off the board.

Many predict that player to be Joe Burrow. A historically great collegiate football season topped off with a Heisman trophy and a College Football Playoffs Championship, Burrow’s stock sky-rocketed the last few months of the season.

He could be the quarterback to snap the Bengals’ streak of consecutive playoff losses. He could give hope to a city that’s struggled to field a winning team the last few seasons.

Or.... he could return a huge haul, a conversation that was manufactured by those looking for the headline of potential scenarios for the Bengals. Well, Duke Tobin, the Bengals director of player personnel, basically ruled out a possible trade.

“I would say it’s doubtful. You never say never, but I would say it’s doubtful,” Tobin told Bengals.com senior writer Geoff Hobson.

“There are a lot of great players available to us there. You kind of know exactly what you’re going to get when you start the planning process. So I would say it’s doubtful, but I never say never. We’ll see where it leads us. We’ve got to go through the process to determine that.”

The feel in Cincinnati is that it’s Burrow or bust.

He’s clearly the top prospect in the draft, and although some lost their minds about his recently-measured hand size, there’s no denying that Burrow is beloved by both fans and media.

That said, for now, rest assured Cincinnati, Burrow is looking more and more like a Bengal.