Joe Burrow is the front-runner to become the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft later this year. The former LSU Tigers star had a stellar end to his college football career and all signs point to Burrow returning to Ohio with the Cincinnati Bengals holding the top pick.
But there have been questions about whether Burrow would report to the team or hold out and attempt to force a trade. Well, he answered those questions at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis this week.
“I’m not going to not play. I’m a ball player. I’m going to show up,” Burrow told reporters.
So much for the idea of Joe Burrow not wanting to play for the Bengals.
Burrow: “I’m not going to not play. I’m a ball player. I’m going to show up.”
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 25, 2020
This season with the Tigers, Burrow threw for a whopping 5,671 yards, 60 touchdowns, and just 6 interceptions.
Burrow claimed the Heisman Trophy, Manning Award, Associated Press National Player of the Year award, the Maxwell Award, the Walter Camp Award, the Davey O’Brien Award, and the Johnny Unitas Award. He was also a first-team All-American for good measure.
Joe Burrow said he'd play in Cincinnati if they drafted him. pic.twitter.com/u4JHIPZGCG
— Ben Baby (@Ben_Baby) February 25, 2020
The 2020 NFL Draft will take place in Las Vegas, Nevada from April 23 to April 25. Las Vegas edged out bids from cities like Denver, Kansas City, Las Vegas, Nashville, and Cleveland/Canton.
In recent years, the NFL has strayed from tradition and moved the draft out of New York City, where it had been held for years.
In 2015, the NFL Draft moved to Chicago, Illinois which marked the first time since 1965 that the draft was held outside of New York City. It was held at Auditorium Theatre in Grant Part which marked the first draft to feature an outdoor component. The draft returned to Chicago in 2016 after the great reception a year prior. In 2017, the draft shifted to Philadelphia where it was held on the iconic Rocky Steps outside of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. It was the most attended draft in NFL history with more than 250,000 fans.
Then, in 2018, the draft was held at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas and it marked more NFL first’s. It was the first time in history that the draft was held in the state of Texas, while also being the first draft to take place in an NFL stadium. The 2019 NFL Draft was held in Nashville, Tennessee.
