Cincinnati Bengals: Joe Burrow headlines 7-round 2020 mock draft

The Cincinnati Bengals have the opportunity to restart their franchise in the 2020 NFL Draft and they do so in this mid-December mock draft with Joe Burrow.

With just one win through 14 weeks of action, the Cincinnati Bengals have done their part if their goal for the season was to earn the No. 1 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. Success has been extremely difficult to come by for head coach Zac Taylor in his first year with the team but the goal is now to find pieces that the organization can build a future with. That obviously starts with the draft.

The Bengals roster in its current state is not completely devoid of talent. However, Cincinnati needs upgrades around the likes of Joe Mixon, Tyler Boyd, Jonah Williams (once he returns), Jessie Bates and Geno Atkins. Both sides of the ball need help if this Bengals franchise is going to have success any time soon.

But really, everything starts with quarterback for the Bengals in the 2020 NFL Draft. Not only are they clearly ready to move on from the Andy Dalton era — even more apparent after he was briefly benched for Ryan Finley midseason — but they will likely have the first overall selection in one of the most quarterback-rich draft classes in years.

Naturally, that gives Cincinnati their choice of quarterbacks and, unless they’ve been watching a different college football season than the rest of the world, that will land them LSU Tigers quarterback and surefire Heisman winner Joe Burrow. He’s established himself as a franchise player and appears ready to shine.

For sustained success with the Bengals, getting a player like Burrow is the first part. But what really matters is what they do after they get the quarterback. Thus, let’s see how Cincinnati builds around their quarterback in a seven-round 2020 mock draft for the Bengals in mid-December.