There seems to be little doubt as to who the Bengals will be using the first overall pick on. It appears for the second time in the franchise’s history, they will be taking a quarterback first overall. Not just any quarterback though. It looks like it will be Louisiana State University’s Joe Burrow.

This lack of speculation has led to some interesting coverage, including Justin Melo of Draft Wire interviewing the only other quarterback to be selected by Cincinnati first overall, Carson Palmer. The now retired quarterback gave his thoughts on the Bengals’ possible pick.

I think between Joe Burrow and the Ohio State defensive end Chase Young, the Bengals have a decision to make and I’m not sure there’s a wrong decision between those guys. I think both of those guys are gonna have phenomenal careers. At the end of the day, the quarterback position is just so important and Cincinnati desperately needs a quarterback. I can see Joe Burrow going No. 1 overall there. With Chase Young and the year he had, he looks like an absolute game-wrecker at the NFL level. Again, the quarterback position is just so important and there’s so few great quarterbacks. I think Burrow is gonna be a great NFL quarterback. He’s led his team up until this point, he’s been extremely tough in the pocket. He’s more athletic than people give him credit for. We’ve seen him use his legs a little bit and I think that’s an underrated trait to his game. Quarterbacks running in the SEC typically translate over well to the pro game. If you can run, take off and get 10 yards here and there against SEC defenses, there’s a good chance that you can do that at the NFL level as well. He’s that type of athlete and he has a dynamic skill-set.

Palmer opening with the very political response is quickly overshadowed by him gushing over Burrow’s potential. The guy does nothing but inspire awe every time you see him play. It is interesting that Palmer notes Burrow’s athleticism, which has quickly become more and more prevalent in today’s NFL quarterbacks.

It is also worth expanding on. Burrow doesn’t simply tuck and run at the first sign of pressure. He is very good at maneuvering the pocket and avoiding the rush. Most importantly, he is great at keeping his eyes downfield and throwing off balance. That is how he makes some of his biggest plays.

Palmer isn’t the first former-Bengals quarterback to share his thoughts on Burrow joining the fraternity. Boomer Esiason took an opportunity to properly welcome the Heisman winning quarterback on CBS while Cincinnati was still on the hunt for the first overall pick.

Boomer Esiason presented Joe Burrow with a Bengals helmet when he visited The NFL Today.



Burrow's reaction: pic.twitter.com/eOu6ehNKOT — NFLonCBS (@NFLonCBS) December 15, 2019

Both of these quarterback are two of the best the Bengals have ever had in uniform, so it is fun to see them share their thoughts on who just might turn out to be the next great one. It shouldn’t be surprising to see other former (and probably current) Bengals start sharing their thoughts on Burrow over the months leading up to the draft.

Of course Burrow still has some business to attend to in the way of competing for a National Championship with LSU, so he hasn’t been able to be vocal about the possibility of landing back in Ohio where everything started. I’m sure Mike Brown is counting down the minutes to where he can finally draft the player who will get fans back in the stands.