Joe Burrow and Trevor Lawrence just finished going head-to-head in the National Championship Game. Both are expected to be the next two first overall picks in their respective NFL Drafts in 2020 and 2021, so it feels like their futures are going to be linked together for a while.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
BetOnline.ag has posted a slew of props pitting them against each other in terms of their rookie seasons. Let\u2019s take a closer look at the lines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The near future for Burrow is clear in terms of where he will play: the Cincinnati Bengals will take him at No. 1 in the 2020 NFL Draft. Burrow was on the Ohio State football team before he transferred to LSU and he made a lot of friends in Ohio. He is loved throughout the state, so it\u2019s very unlikely that Cincinnati would trade him away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A key point about Burrow\u2019s 2020 season with the Bengals is that Cincinnati played the 2019 season without its first-round draft pick, offensive lineman Jonah Williams of Alabama. If Williams can be healthy, Burrow will have a much better offensive line than Andy Dalton had in 2019. And the cast isn\u2019t too bad as Joe Mixon will be back and a wide receiving corps of Tyler Boyd, John Ross and possibly A.J. Green \u2013 if they bring him back \u2013 is a pretty good starter kit for Burrow. The cupboard isn\u2019t completely bare in Cincinnati. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The reality with Lawrence is that he will play the 2020 college football season at Clemson. The Tigers will be heavily favored to return to the College Football Playoff National Championship Game yet again, especially since Travis Etienne surprised everyone and decided to stay in school another year rather than go to the 2020 NFL Draft. Clemson\u2019s offense should be loaded, and that should help Lawrence to rise to the top of the 2021 draft board, assuming he enters the draft after the 2020 season. He would have a fourth year of eligibility in 2021, but most people think he will forgo his senior season and enter the 2021 draft. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The key here is pegging where Lawrence will land in the NFL. If Lawrence is the top pick in the 2021 draft, which bad NFL team will pick him? It won\u2019t be the Bengals, since they have Burrow. It won\u2019t be the Washington Redskins, since they have Dwayne Haskins. The Miami Dolphins make sense as a possible team with a horrible record, the top pick and we know that Josh Rosen has not been especially good for them. The New York Jets have Sam Darnold, so they won\u2019t need a top quarterback. The Chicago Bears could trade up for Lawrence if Mitchell Trubisky has a bad 2020 NFL season. The Los Angeles Chargers could seek a quarterback of the future with Philip Rivers on his way out and they don\u2019t sign Tom Brady. That\u2019s the challenge with this prop: we don\u2019t know where Lawrence will end up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The above considerations with Lawrence\u2019s NFL destination apply to all of these props. However, if you think that Zac Taylor in Cincinnati will work well with Joe Burrow, you can reasonably predict that Burrow\u2019s rookie year will be more productive than Lawrence\u2019s. If you think Taylor isn\u2019t a good head coach and is in over his head \u2013 which some people in the NFL world believe right now \u2013 then withhold a move on this prop or go with Lawrence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This is the best prop in which to bet on Burrow, because the Bengals should trail a lot next season. Passing yards are not an indication of quality. Bad quarterbacks can collect a lot of yards because their teams are always behind, and defenses are playing soft prevent schemes to avoid getting beaten deep on long passes. Burrow might be good, and he might be bad, but he should pile up a lot of passing yards next season with the Bengals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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