There's a new Joe Burrow-related NFL draft take that needs to stop
There's a Joe Burrow-related draft take that I've seen popping up over the last few weeks that needs to stop. It's not unusual to see college quarterbacks compared to Burrow. After all, the Cincinnati Bengals quarterback is one of the biggest stars currently in the NFL and nearly every team wishes they had a carbon […]
There's a Joe Burrow-related draft take that I've seen popping up over the last few weeks that needs to stop.
It's not unusual to see college quarterbacks compared to Burrow.
After all, the Cincinnati Bengals quarterback is one of the biggest stars currently in the NFL and nearly every team wishes they had a carbon copy of Burrow.
The latest popular comparison for Burrow is Alabama's Bryce Young, a player who could potentially be the first player selected in the 2023 NFL Draft.
ESPN recently made comparisons for this year's draft-eligible quarterbacks and they compared Young to Burrow.
From ESPN: I see Young as a combo of Burrow and, in a cross-sport twist, Stephen Curry. The game around him seems slow down to how fast and sudden he moves within it. Young (Alabama) never panics with the football in big moments, and he's a true floor general at quarterback.
Young is a great player. And I think he's the best quarterback in the draft.
But he's not Burrow. And that's not an insult to Young — no one is like Burrow.
That's not to say that a quarterback won't come along who outplays Burrow. Or that he's even the best quarterback in the NFL right now (it's hard to argue against Patrick Mahomes). But Burrow is a unique player with quite possibly the best leadership skills I've ever seen from a young quarterback.
It's not fair to Young to compare him to Burrow. And it's somewhat insulting to Burrow to compare him to a quarterback who hasn't proven anything as a professional yet.
(The same could've been said about the Tom Brady comparisons for Burrow a couple of years ago ahead of the draft.)
These comparisons, in general, need to stop. For starters, they're pointless — no two quarterbacks are ever the same. Secondly, it puts unfair expectations on young quarterbacks. Bryce Young just needs to be Bryce Young. And Joe Burrow is going to continue to be the only Joe Burrow in the NFL.
We don't have to constantly look for the next Burrow, Mahomes, or Peyton Manning (or whoever). Just let these players be themselves.
