The wait is finally over.
After months of speculation and rumors that Joe Burrow didn’t want Cincinnati, or Cincinnati should trade out, they did the smart thing and selected superstar QB Joe Burrow.
Burrow has all the potential to be one of the leagues top quarterbacks. and while Andy Dalton was a fine player. the potential of Burrow is exciting.
With that said, let’s take a look at Joe Burrow and learn a little bit more about the number one overall pick.
1. He grew up close to Cincinnati
Joe Burrow grew up in Athens county Ohio which is only a three hour drive from Cincinnati. He has specifically mentioned being happy about going to the Bengals as it means he gets to be a lot closer to home than other teams. He also took his high school team to the Division III state championships where they unfortunately lost. Overall, Joe Burrow is a hometown here and a perfect fit in Cincinnati.
2. He isn’t the first football player in his family
Joe Burrow’s dad Jimmy Burrow played safety for Nebraska before eventually being selected in the 8th round of the NFL Draft. He didn’t stick though and ended up playing in the CFL. Jimmy Burrow was the defensive coordinator at close by Ohio University from 2005 until his retirement following the 2018 season. Joe Burrow’s two brothers, Jamie and Dan, also played football at Nebraska in the early 2000’s, but neither went on to the NFL.
3. He raised a lot of money for charity
You can often tell a person’s character by how they use a moment that they get in the spotlight. Joe Burrow used his chance well, using his Heisman win as a chance to talk about the need for his hometown of Athens and talking up the Athens food pantry. In the end the efforts helped raise around 500,000$ for the charity, an amount that is sure to help a lot of people in need. A great sign of a very giving person who used his opportunity to help others.
4. Burrow originally signed with the hometown Buckeyes
He committed to Ohio State in 2015 and ended up being redshirted. In 2016 and 2017 he was behind the combination of J.T. Barrett and Cardale Jones, before being given an opportunity to fight for the starting job in 2018. He ended up losing the battle to Dwayne Haskins and was a late transfer to LSU. Having such little time in their program he struggled early on, making it look like the Buckeyes made the right choice. However, he got the last laugh as he won the National Championship in 2019 with LSU after arguably the greatest seasons of play from a QB ever in college football.
5. Joe Burrow graduated from Ohio State in 2018
He was able to graduate from Ohio State with a degree in Consumer and Family Financial Services, which ultimately was what allowed him to play right away at LSU as a graduate transfer. This degree also seems to play into his charity efforts with an emphasis on helping the community and those in need with an understanding of family financial situations. A lot of NFL players who didn’t get the opportunity to get their degree end up going back to finish what they started, but Joe Burrow already finished.