The Cincinnati Bengals obviously look great for the selection of Joe Burrow given how things have played out since.
But it’s interesting to think about how that draft pick compares to the other best picks of the decade leaguewide.
Sports Illustrated’s Gilberto Manzano just tackled that exact subject, ranking the 20 best picks of the last decade, with the selection of Burrow coming in third overall place:
This is where the list starts getting tough. Maybe it’s too soon to have Burrow ranked this high, but he quickly established himself as an elite quarterback, and he might be only second to Mahomes when it comes to quarterback rankings. Don’t let the short list of accolades fool you. Burrow has already guided the Bengals to a Super Bowl and turned them into a winning organization after years of distress as an afterthought franchise.
It’s hard to knock the Bengals for making the obvious pick given Burrow’s skill set, the needs, the local connection and so much more.
It’s also hard to complain about the pick coming in third on the list. Sitting behind the Chiefs taking Patrick Mahomes and the Rams landing Aaron Donald is pretty good company.
Given the lack of quarterbacks on the list overall (Josh Allen is 14th, Justin Herbert 19th), the Bengals will certainly take making the third-best pick of the last 10 years.
