When the Cincinnati Bengals snatched up Joe Burrow with the first overall pick of the 2020 NFL Draft, it left some Death Valley-sized shoes to fill in Baton Rouge. The favorite to follow in Burrow’s oversized footsteps is junior Myles Brennan, who threw 40 passes last year as Burrow’s backup.

Nobody would expect Brennan to replicate what Burrow accomplished; Burrow put up arguably the greatest passing season in college football history in 2019, and led the Tigers to an undefeated record and the national championship along the way. But Barton Simmons, 247Sports director of scouting, said the 6-foot-4, 207-pound signal-caller has shown the traits to anticipate that he’ll find success with the 2020 LSU squad.

The No. 6 pro-style quarterback and No. 152 overall player in the 2017 247Sports Composite, Brennan dominated the sky at Mississippi’s St. Stanislaus High School, throwing for almost 5,800 yards and 64 touchdowns as a sophomore and following that up with 5,248 yards and 53 scores as a junior and 3,982 yards and 48 scores to just three interceptions as a senior.

That off-the-charts production pushed him 40 spots higher in the Top247 than the industry-generated rankings, with 247Sports rating Brennan as the fourth-best pro-style quarterback and 112th-best prospect.

“I think Myles Brennan came out at a time where we were really starting to dial in on productivity and how that correlates to success at the college level,” Simmons said. “While we were certainly familiar with him early in the process, his offer list didn’t really explode. But we looked at his film, his numbers and his production, and I think thats’s really what drove his rise in our rankings. And then when we had a chance to see him in a couple postseason events, really I think it gave us more confidence that he had some tools as well as just the production.”

What were those tools?

“I would describe him as accurate, efficient and smart,” Simmons said. “I think he’s someone that has a good understanding of where to go with the football, and he’s really capable of delivering it all over the field. What’s going to be really interesting to see if he is the guy at LSU is where he’s at physically. That was the big question mark; he was extremely skinny, and while he had plenty of arm, there was a feeling that as he got stronger there was more upside, more runway there for arm talent to develop as he got stronger and more mature.”

And Simmons said that Brennan could be in for a big season should he emerge as LSU’s starting quarterback.

“There’s no question that you don’t pass for 15,000 yards in high school without a really good, intuitive feel for the position,” Simmons said.

History would seem to be on Brennan’s side. Of the last five quarterbacks to win the Heisman Trophy and move on to the NFL*, four of their immediate followers had strong seasons, including the most recent four.

2019 Jalen Hurts (Following Kyler Murray) — Finished second for Heisman Trophy, more than 5,100 passing and rushing yards, 52 touchdowns

2018 Kyler Murray (Baker Mayfield) — Won the Heisman Trophy, more than 5,300 total yards, 54 combined touchdowns

2015 Vernon Adams (Marcus Mariota) — 179.1 passer rating, 64.9 completion percentage,2,643 yards, 26 touchdowns, six interceptions.

2012 Nick Florence (Robert Griffin III) — almost 4,900 total yards, 43 combined touchdowns

2011 Barrett Trotter/Clint Moseley (Cam Newton) — almost 2,000 passing yards,16 touchdowns, nine interceptions

*Johnny Manziel, Jameis Winston and Lamar Jackson each returned to college football the season after winning the Heisman Trophy.

That would seem to be a strong indicator for Brennan’s potential success this year, but not as much as what LSU returns. And while those returnees include reigning Biletnikoff Award winner JaMarr Chase, perhaps the biggest return is LSU continuing to operate the system the Tigers utilized under Steve Ensminger and Joe Brady last year. Brady jumped to the NFL, but LSU is likely to retain the system and principles that helped to unlock Burrow’s potential a year ago.

“It’s absolutely a fit,” Simmons said. “In fact, Myles Brennan committed to LSU under Les Miles, and he wasn’t really a great fit for a Les Miles system. His commitment was sort of in limbo there when Ed Orgeron took over and they expressed a desire to go with a more athletic quarterback, which isn’t really who Myles is either. But with the hire of Matt Canada as offensive coordinator and more communication, he felt comfortable with LSU.

“Ultimately, even the first iteration of the offense under Ed Orgeron really wasn’t a great fit,” Simmons said. “But now, this is a system much more akin to one that plays to his skill set that he showcased in high school, and probably more than LSU has ever had. The situation evolved into a really nice fit for him.”

All that surrounding talent, from Chase to Terrace Marshall Jr. to the addition of freshman mismatch nightmare Arik Gilbert at tight end, shouldn’t hurt either.

“I still think the way LSU’s recruited at the offensive skill positions, they have the ability to be one of the most potent offenses in the nation, just talking purely talent,” Simmons said. “The continuity of the system, the ability to find some rhythm and comfort level, all of those are things that I think are going to dictate Brennan’s success. But ultimately, the players around Myles Brennan should be as talented as last year’s unit, just different faces.”